


Persona 4 ND: Solus

by pico_chulo



Series: P4ND [3]
Category: Persona 4
Genre: Demisexuality, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Persona 4 New Days, Persona 4 Protagonist has a dungeon, demisexual protagonist, no beta we die like men, souyo - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-01
Updated: 2020-07-16
Packaged: 2021-03-04 17:47:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 32
Words: 37,713
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25010353
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pico_chulo/pseuds/pico_chulo
Summary: Based off of the Alone Route in the fan game Persona 4 New Days.With the Murder Case over, Yu is back to living a peaceful life in Inaba. As his year-long stay comes to an end, he finds himself dealing with his blossoming attraction to his best friend and the prospect of having to leave his new life behind.No Beta we die like men lol.
Relationships: Hanamura Yosuke/Narukami Yu, Hanamura Yosuke/Persona 4 Protagonist
Series: P4ND [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1810678
Comments: 2
Kudos: 29





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Work part of a series exploring the different routes within the fan game Persona 4 New Days!  
> Download for free here- https://p4newdays.tumblr.com/post/122041017446/release-post-persona-4-new-days-february-1st

Before Yu arrived to Inaba, he was alone. His parents took frequent business trips and even when they were home, he found it hard to gain their attention. From an early age he learned to take care of himself, though he found it hard to connect with his family. He did no better in school.

Despite his good grades, he found it difficult to make friends with his classmates. He was… different and this only grew more obvious as he entered into High School. When he hit puberty he expected to be overwhelmed with roaring teenage hormones, some kind of sexual urge, just like the rest of his peers... but he wasn’t. It wasn’t an issue at first, until he tried to start dating. After several rumors and embarrassing incidents that set him apart from his peers, he gave up human interaction altogether. 

When he arrived to Inaba, he vowed to try and avoid the same feelings of isolation. He hadn’t expected much, but then... he met Yosuke and the others. Something changed in him changed. They were kind to him and always there for him. Even Dojima and Nanako felt more like family than his own parents. He became part of a team and together they faced trial after trail. Yu had found a home here in Inaba.

He knew that he would eventually have to leave, but he tried not to think about it. He would enjoy his last few months with his newfound family as a normal student.


	2. February 1st

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yu and his friends visit the shrine with Nanako. At home Yu receives an unexpected call.

“Welcome to the Velvet Room.”

When Yu opened his eyes, he found himself in the Velvet Room. Igor and Margaret smiling as usual. It had been quite some time since he had been there. The last time he was there, the investigation team was ready to face Adachi and ended it once and for all. Despite the case being closed, he was here yet again… but why?

Igor chuckled at his confusion and continued. “It's been quite some time. You've done well in unraveling the mystery that was set before you. Very impressive. You've faced many hardships and overcome many obstacles to have come this far.Truly, you have been a most intriguing guest.”

Margaret nodded in agreement. “I'm eager to see how you will choose to proceed from here... As always, the surest way to move forward through the fog is with clear purpose and understanding.On your journey, you have learned a great deal about understanding the struggles and desires of others. But I wonder... What have you learned so far about understanding yourself?”

Yu tilted his head slightly. _Myse_ _lf?_ He didn’t understand what she had meant by that. She continued.

“Tell me. When you discard your masks and set down your defenses... What is it that most strikes your heart with fear?”

Margaret leaned forward slightly, watching him intensely. Her gaze sharp and intense. Yu tensed, unsure of what to say.

“Being Alone…” The words felt as if they were lured out of him by her stare.

“Is that so?” She leaned back, an almost proud smirk on her lips. “Interesting...You're not unfamiliar with solitude. Over the course of your life, people will naturally meet and part ways with you. Meetings and partings are inevitable. You understand this. Yet your greatest fear is separation from the people you love most.” She closed her eyes, pondering something. “I wonder...If the threat of isolation and the pain of loneliness became too much to bear... How far would you be willing to go to keep someone close to you?”

Yu glanced down in thought. “I wouldn’t push.” He spoke, his tone meeker than he had intended. He suddenly felt a lot smaller in the already contained space. 

“I see... You're unexpectedly mature. You don't allow your fear to cloud your reasoning. Even though you fear being alone, you know that someday you will be parted from the ones you love. Could you remember that, even when faced with an imminent parting?” Margaret smiled mischievously. “I suppose only time will tell. I look forward to seeing if you can find your answer. If you will grasp it with steady hands... or let it slip through your fingers.”

Her words were ominous. _What does she know?_

“Now then. Off you go. Do remember to visit now and then. And don't forget... The path forward through the fog will only ever be as clear as your mind.” Igor drew his attention away his thoughts.

Before Yu could ask any questions, the room rippled around him. He closed his eyes, feeling his body being pulled downward. The feeling of falling, causing him to brace.

* * *

Yu jolted slightly, a ringing bell drawing him back to his senses. He glanced up, surprised to see the classroom around him. _That’s right… I fell asleep in class._ He sighed.

“Ahhh, finally!” Yosuke’s cheery tone, causing Yu to turn around. “I've been staring at the clock for the last hour. I thought this day would never end!” The brunette stretched out behind him.

“Seriously... Even you looked out of it for a while there, Yu-kun.” Chie joined in, walking towards them. Yukiko stepped into the small circle too.

Yukiko leaned towards him slightly. “Hmm? Yu-kun, are you having trouble paying attention?" Yu nodded a bit embarrassed. "That's pretty normal this time of year. Winter in Inaba is enough to wear anyone down.”

“Don't our teachers realize it's February? Who has the energy to pay attention this late in the year?” Chie spoke, upset. “Winter's a complete write-off. If we're going to be prepared for the Spring term, we should be conserving our energy right now!”

A sigh escaped Yosuke, who seemed equally annoyed. “That's called hibernation, Chie. People don't do that. You're thinking of bears.”

“I know that, stupid!” Chie snapped back. Yu glanced to Yukiko, who spoke partially curious. “I wonder if Teddie hibernates...?” She smiled, coming up with something. “Or would he say "hi-bear-nates"?”

Yosuke winced. “Trust me, he says "hi-bear-nate". And he's BEEN saying it all winter. Sometimes I wish he WOULD hibernate and give me a break...”

In response, Yukiko laughed. Despite some of the Investigation Team being annoyed by her laugh, Yu found it contagious at time. A light and brief chuckle escaping from Yu.

Chie rolled her eyes. “C'mon, guys, quit wasting time! We should hurry up and get to the shrine, or it'll get cold and dark too fast.”

“Chie's right.” Yosuke grabbed his bag. “You should hurry home and get Nanako-chan. We'll get Teddie and the others together and meet you guys there!”

With a firm nod, Yu shook off the remainder of his drowsiness and grabbed his things. Back in January, Nanako and Dojima were still hospitalized from the intense conclusion that led to the capture of Adachi. Because of that they couldn’t make it to the shrine during the new year. So to cheer her up, Yu and his friends decided to take her whenever she was fully recovered so she could make her own New Year’s wish.

Today was the day. Yu was quick to return home and pick up Nanako. The smiling child greeted him with a hug. The two eagerly went to the shrine, talking about their day.

* * *

As they arrived at the shrine. Yu’s friends rushed to greet them.

“There they are! Happy New Year, Nanako-chan!” Chie shouted.

Nanako giggled excitedly. “Happy New Year!"

“We're sorry you couldn't make it in January, Nanako-chan. I hope today will make up for it.” With an apologetic tone, Naoto gave her a greeting.

Nanako didn’t seem to be upset and simply laughed it off. “It's okay. Big bro promised he would take me, and he did! We're going to make wishes and draw fortunes!”

“That’s right.” Yu smiled. Kanji came up to them, a fierce determination in his eyes.

“W-we'll take you to the shrine every day if you want, Nanako-chan!”

“At least there are fewer people around than there were on New Year's.” Rise pointed out. “This way Nanako-chan can take as long as she wants. It's like her own personal holiday!”

With a bright smile, Teddie held Nanako’s hands. “Nana-chan, Nana-chan! What are you going to wish for?!”

“It's a secret!” Nanako placed a finger to her lips playfully.

Yosuke smiled. “ Well, what are you waiting for? We already got to have a New Year's visit, so you go ahead and make your wish, Nanako-chan!”

Nanako pulled Teddie to the shrine with Yu’s friends in tow. Nanako went to wish first, praying intensely. Teddie turned to Yu, smiling.

“I can't believe this is my first New Year's and I get to do it twice! Sensei, you're going to make a wish too, aren't you? What are you going to wish for?” The curiosity in Teddie’s eyes making Yu a little self-conscious.

In an attempt to mimic Nanako’s response, Yu answered with a small smile. “It’s a secret.”

Teddie’s eyes lit up. “Ohhh I get it. If you tell someone it might not come true. Is that it? You're really superstitious...”

“A secret wish? That's kinda badass. You're way too calm, man. I never really know what's going on in that head of yours. But I guess that's what makes you cool, right?” Kanji replied.

A few of his other friends commented similarly… except for Yosuke. Yosuke seemed a little bothered… _or lost in thought?_ Yu couldn’t tell. In any case, it was his turn. Nanako went to him and practically dragged him over to the offertory box.

Yu tossed some money into the offertory box and clapped his hands together.

He spent a little time in thought. No one would be able to here his wish so he felt a little more free. Deep down there was only one thing that he wanted more than anything. He wanted to remain in Inaba for just a little longer…He didn’t hate the city, but the friends he made her, the family he has here, he couldn’t replace that. He let a small sigh. He knew his wish could never come true, but he still hoped that somehow it would come true.

Yu moved away to watch his friends make their own wishes. Some prayed more desperately than others. It wasn’t a secret that they had all faced some horrible things both about themselves and about each other. _Are they thinking about it now?_ Yu wondered.

After everyone had a chance to pray, the group moved over to it.

“Hey, c'mon, let's draw a fortune!” Chie led the way.

“Mine are usually pretty lucky. I hope I don't break my good streak.” Yukiko hoped lightly.

“So if we draw a better one now than we did at New Year's, is this the one that counts? C'mon, lady luck, don't fail me now!” Yosuke started to push forward, eager to draw one.

Yu trailed behind, watching as everyone drew their fortunes. The fortunes were mixed. Nanako, Yukiko, Chie, Naoto and Kanji received blessings. Teddie and Rise received curses…

Yosuke let out a disappointed hiss. “No. Way.” Everyone turned towards him.

“Huh? What's wrong, Yosuke?” Chie leaned over his shoulder to get a look.

“Great Curse?! You have got to be kidding me!”

“Better get rid of that one.” Rise chimmed in. Yosuke kept staring at it, disappointed.

“’Academic pursuits will be worse than usual. Starting or continuing romantic relationships will lead to disaster.’ Come on, this isn't funny anymore!” He sighed and crippled the paper in his hand. “That's it... I give up. The universe is officially against me.”

Yu felt uneasy as he drew his. He put his coin in the slot and reached into the box. When he pulled it out and read it, he winced. “Great Curse.”

“Yikes, two of them…” Chie spoke surprised.

Yosuke gave Yu a sympathetic look. “Looks like we're both in for a rough year.”

Yu glanced back down at the fortune. _"Great care should be taken during travel this year." "Poorer than usual outlook for academic pursuits." "Activities related to moving will present great stress." "Romantic relationships should be avoided at all costs."..._ It went on and on as he read it.

“Well, you are moving, right? That's pretty stressful, and it can affect all those other things, too. You'll just have to remember to take care of yourself.” Yukiko smiled, trying to ease his discomfort.

Naoto nodded. “It's simply a fortune, Senpai. Try not to assign it undue importance.”

His friends attempted to reassure him, but Yu still felt a little uneasy. Together with his friends, he tied his unlucky fortunes to the fence.

* * *

When Yu and Nanako returned home, his Uncle was waiting. Per Nanako’s request, Yu helped with cooking up stew for dinner. It was a welcomed thing. It wasn’t until they were gone that Yu had understood how much he had come to rely on them and how good it felt to be welcomed home.

As they finished eating, the phone rang. ”Who could be calling at this hour?” Dojima sighed. Yu initially moved to answer it, but Dojima signaled him down and went to get the phone himself. “Hello?” His expression changed. “...Is that you? This is a surprise!” He continued to speak while Yu and Nanako cleaned up their dishes. “Sure, I'll put him on. Hang on.” Dojima motioned for Yu to come to the phone. Yu stopped what he was doing and walked over, taking the phone with some caution. 

“Hello?” Yu spoke.

“Is that you, Yu? It's been quite a while.” A woman spoke on the other line, a voice he hadn’t heard in a long time.

Yu smiled. “Mom?!”

His mother laughed in response. “Of course it's me! You haven't forgotten the sound of my voice, have you?”

Yu hadn’t spoken to either of his parents in over a year. Of course they occasionally sent text messages, but they never actually talked to him. It was comforting to hear them, they never talked to him often on their travels so it was always nice for him to hear their voices. 

“Things with work just got so hectic... You know how it is. And your father and I worried that being reminded of us would make you feel a little homesick. We wanted you to focus on your studies in Inaba. Speaking of which... How did it go this year? Still top of your class as usual?” She continued.

“Yes and I made a lot of friends here too.” Yu replied proudly. 

“That's wonderful, dear. I'm glad you're getting along with people. You never used to introduce any friends to us before... Honestly, I thought you'd mostly keep to yourself while you were there. It's good to have fun with friends, but don't forget to study hard. College entrance exams are just around the corner.” His mother’s tone shifted as he spoke. “How is Ryotaro doing? He wouldn't say anything, but I felt awful sending you off to stay with him when he's had such a hard time himself. And what about your cousin? Are you getting along with her?”

Yu filled her in on their hospital visit, but carefully left out the murders and the TV world. He learned early on to avoid complicated topics with his parents. They were always too busy to keep tracking of many details. 

“Oh no... Ryotaro, that idiot... Taking on too much by himself, like always. I realize it's asking a lot, but please do your best to help them however you can.You can take care of the house if they need you to, right?”

Yu gave a brief nod. “Yes mom.”

His mom gave a sigh of relief. “Thank you, Yu. You're always so reliable. In a few years you'll make a wonderful husband.” Yu frowned, the topic was one he tried to avoid. Though he never tried to explain his complicated sexuality with his parents. She laughed. “Oh, but don't tell your father I said that! School comes first. Then we can think about your future a little more. Oh... Your father wants to speak with you. Hold on, I'll give him the phone.”

Yu regained his composure and prepared himself for his father’s voice. ”Hello, Yu.”

“Hi Dad.” Yu's tone shifted slightly. His dad was always the serious one. 

“I hope you're well. It's good to hear your voice. I wanted to let you know that our work is wrapping up here and we have everything finalized for our trip back to Japan. We'll be flying back on March 20th. We'll be moving a lot of our things back into the house, so it'll be better for you to come back after that. So book your train ticket home for March 21st, okay? That should give you lots of time to prepare for the move to your new school.”

“Ah ok.” Yu spoke. _A New school…_ a bitterness stirred up in him as his father mentioned it. He knew that discussing it was inevitable. He had been through this before… but… this time was different. He had come to think of it as an actual home. After everything Yu had been through… He sighed. It couldn’t last forever.

“To be honest, I've been hearing some unsettling rumours about Inaba...Is it true there have been murders there recently?” Yu didn’t know how to respond to his father’s questions, but he didn’t even have the time to. His father kept talking. “I wouldn't have expected that. Your mother and I would rather you come home as soon as possible... but we can't abandon our work just yet. Just a little while longer.” Yu tensed. He had heard those words a million times before. “We're looking forward to getting back and seeing you, Yu. We'll talk again before we come home, okay? Good night.”

“Alright. Good night.” Yu muttered quietly and hung up the phone. He hadn’t noticed but his hand had started to tremble.

“It's been a while since you've spoken to your parents, huh?” Dojima asked, drawing his attention. Yu nodded and informed him of the departure plans. The air tensed as they continued to talk. 

Nanako walked up to him, frowning. “Big bro, you're leaving in March? I don't want you to go...” She hugged his legs.

Dojima sighed and crouched down. “Nanako, we talked about this. He has to go home.But he'll be back before you know it. Right, Yu?”

Yu frowned. “I don’t want to go either but—”

“Then don’t! Why can’t you just stay here!?” Nanako shouted and then went quiet. “…I don’t understand…”

Dojima placed a hand on Nanako’s shoulder. “Nanako... I know you don't want him to leave, but don't you think his parents want to see him too?”

“I know…but…” Nanako trailed off. Dojima gave a weak assuring smile.

“Let's not worry about it too much tonight.” Dojima glanced back to Yu and stood up. “I think we're all a little tired. Yu, I'm gonna put Nanako to bed. Why don't you think about turning in, too? G'night.”

Yu went up to his room and laid on the bed. Lost in thought.

Some part of Yu had always wanted, _hoped_ that his parents would call him. He hoped they would come back early and he could return to the city. _But that was before…_ It was before. Now he had friends, he had a family at home. He never felt lonely in Inaba, but that was all going to change in seven weeks. _Seven weeks…_

He remained awake for a long time before he felt tired enough to sleep. He drifted off, uneasily and hyper-aware. As much as he hated it, Yu’s time was coming to a close... _Am I going to be alone again?_ He tried to push the question aside because he feared the answer. 


	3. February 3rd

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yu and Yosuke skip school.

_Lunch Break._ Yu sighed and leaned back for a moment. He had packed his lunch, but he wondered if he should eat it at his desk or if he should go somewhere else. A light tap on his shoulder broke his thoughts.

“Hey, Yu. Got a minute? I wanted to ask you something.” When Yu turned to glance at Yosuke, he could see that Yosuke was coming up with something. “So going to the shrine with everyone the other day got me thinking. It's cool that you were able to be here for New Year's and the summer festival and things like that... But I realized there's a lot of other stuff we should do before you leave, too! Making wishes at the shrine was a good start, but there's gotta be lots of other stuff we can do, right?” Yu gave a nod, still not sure what he was getting at. “So what do you say? Wanna skip class this afternoon and go to Okina with me? Could be the last time we get to do that…”

Yu blinked, surprised. _He wants to skip class?_ Yu had never even contemplated skipping school… still Yosuke made a good point. Yu couldn’t guarantee anything once he left Inaba. Yu made up his mind and replied with a nod. “Sure, sounds fun.”

Yosuke grinned excitedly. “That's the spirit, partner! C'mon. If we sneak away now no one will notice.” 

_His excitement is contagious._ Yu thought as he grabbed his bag and followed Yosuke off of the school grounds.

* * *

When they arrived to Okina Station, Yu was surprised about how empty it was. 

“Huh. I guess people are mostly at school or work right now. I've only ever been here on weekends or after school. I hope we don't stand out too much. Well, it's like we have the place to ourselves or something. That can be fun, too. What should we do first?” Yosuke turned to Yu.

“Arcade.” Yu smiled.

Yosuke gave a mischievous smile. “Heh heh, are you sure? You'll regret that choice after I'm done kicking your ass. I won't go easy on you!”

The two of them raced to the arcade. They went through a few games, mostly won by Yu, until they were called out by someone.

“Hey! Hold it right there.” Yu and Yosuke froze and turned around to see an older manager. “Aren't those school uniforms? If you're going to skip classes at least be smart enough to change your clothes first.” He chewed the two of them out.

Yosuke tried to weasel out of it. “Oh, uh... Y'see, we only had half a day, so...”

“Yeah, yeah, save it. You think I was born yesterday? Get back to school! I don't want kids thinking they can come here to hang out whenever they want to skip. C'mon, beat it!”

Yosuke and Yu were chased out of the arcade and caught there breath. “ Well, that was a miserable failure.” Yosuke sighed and stood up straight, glancing at Yu. “Can you believe that guy? Geez, talk about a power trip... Who cares if we want to skip once in a while? It's not like we do it all the time.” His expression tensed. “And these are extreme circumstances! You're only here for a few more weeks. I don't want to waste that time in class…”  
  


Yu watched him carefully. _He’s really serious about this._ Yosuke continued to mumble. Yosuke sighed.

“…Guess I should have thought this plan out a little more.” His voice sounded disappointed.

Yu nudged him. “Hey I’m having fun with you anyway.” 

Yosuke shoved him back lightly. “ Geez, you're laying it on a little thick, aren't you? How can you say that stuff with a straight face...?” He laughed, his mood lifting a bit. “Alright I promise next time will be way better!”

“Next time?” Yu smiled amused. Yosuke nodded.

“We're best friends, right? Best friends are supposed to get into all kinds of trouble together.” His smile was beaming. Yu smiled back. “Everyone knows that. But we don't have much time left, so we have to do as much as we can before it's too late. Don't worry, I've got it all figured out. Just leave it to me, partner!”

The two of them took the train back to Inaba, just as classes ended.

* * *

Yu was making his way through town when he spotted AI Ebihara. They had hung out a few times, though they had both been too busy to talk much recently. “Hey. Long time no see!” She went up to greet him. “You've been really busy lately, huh? We haven't gone to Okina together in ages. You're moving back to the city pretty soon, aren't you?’ Yu nodded. “Then that settles it. You're taking me to Okina one last time before you leave!” He smiled, she was a bit bossy.

“You mean to hit on guys?” He spoke jokingly.

“Huh? Ohhh, right! I did say that, didn't I?” She seemed surprised that he remembered. “You're taller than me, but you're really slim. I bet I have some longer skirts that would fit you perfectly. And I'd do your makeup, too. Sooo many guys would ask for our numbers. It'd be a blast.” She nudged him. “Come on, we HAVE to do it!” She laughed mischievously.

“Sure I’m up for it.” Yu answered. AI went quiet for a moment.

“Wait... You're actually serious, aren't you? I didn't realize you were into that kind of thing.” A smile returned to her face with a new determination. “All right, let's do it. I'll call you sometime. We'll make it a trip to remember!”

The two of them talked until Yu had to go home.

* * *

Yu laid on his futon, reading to pass sometime. His light talk with Ai, made him wonder why he started to feel warmer to the idea of being in relationship. _Do I… want to impress someone… do I like someone?_ The thought popped up at some point, but he brushed it off. Even if he did, did he have the time for it? Was it selfish to want to do something with that? He shook off his thoughts and eventually fell asleep.


	4. February 5th

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yu runs into Yosuke and Teddie while shopping.

If there was one thing Yu hated about Inaba was how cold it was. He was almost done running errands for the day, all he needed to do was to swing by Junes for some groceries.

 _Some_ groceries ended up being _a lot_ of groceries. Yu struggled to keep the basket in one piece. _Maybe I should ask Yosuke or Teddie to help me get this back home…_ He sighed and kept walking.

As if on cue, Yu suddenly felt someone jump behind him and hug him. “Ah Sensei!” Yu’s shock turned into a sigh. It was just Teddie.

“Hey Teddie.” Yu gave a faint smile, keeping a grip on the basket. 

“Did you come to visit me? How beary thoughtful!” Teddie smiled brightly. “Sensei, you're so much more considerate than Yosuke. He won't let me spend quality time with anybody at all...”

From a little farther away, Yu saw Yosuke approaching them, clearly annoyed. “Dumb bear, what're you telling him now?”

“It's true! I just want to be friendly with everyone and Yosuke won't let me!” Teddie told Yu as if he could help in some way.

“I never said you can't be friendly. I said you can't flirt with customers while you're on the clock. There's a huge difference!” Yosuke reminded him.

“Hmph! You're just jealous because ladies can't resist my silky fur!” Teddie gripped Yu tigher in a display of defiance. If he gripped in harder Yu would drop his basket. 

“I don't even know how to answer that... “ Yosuke released a deep exhale, his anger starting to dissipate. “And anyway, quit clinging to Yu, would you? You're gonna make him drop all his stuff.”

“You're so cruel, Yosuke!” Teddie pouted. “You won't let me have any ladies OR Sensei!” Teddie gasped and tightened his embrace around Yu. “Ohhhh I see how it is... Yosuke, you just want Sensei all to yourself, don't you?!”

“W-What?! No!” Yosuke grew a little red and then tried to deflect his flustered state. “That's it, you're on mopping duty for the rest of the day!”

Teddie and Yosuke went back and forth squabbling while Teddie’s grip became a little suffocating. “Teddie. I can’t breathe…” Yu finally cut in. Both Yosuke and Teddie stopped to look at Yu.

“See, Ted?” Yosuke sighed. “I get that you're happy to see him, but ease up a little bit...”

“Huh? Oh!” Teddie apologetically told him. “...Sorry, Sensei. I don't want you to drop all your food...” He pulled away sheepish from Yu. Teddie glanced down to Yu’s groceries. “Are you making dinner tonight, Sensei? Do you need me to come over and help you eat it? I can stay with you if you want! Living with you and getting to eat your homecooked meals every day was heaven... “

Yu smiled a bit, it was definitely interesting to have Teddie living with him while Nanako and Dojima were at the hospital. Even though Teddie could be a handful, it was still nice to have some company around.

“Don't just invite yourself to live with other people...”

“But, Yosuke...Nana-chan and her daddy aren't always around. I bet Sensei gets lonely sometimes. Wouldn't it be better if he had some more company? When he comes home from school I can say "Welcome home, Sensei~!", or something like that. And then we'll eat his amazing dinner and then sit at the kotatsu together until one of us gets sleepy. What do you think?”

“I think it sounds like you already had all that planned.” Yosuke turned to Yu. “But, you know, Yu… He's got a point. Things have been pretty rough for you lately. If you want some company, man, just say so. Okay? Me and Ted are working a lot, but we'd come visit on our days off. I'm sure the others would too.”

Yu gave a brief nod with a soft smile. “I’d like that.” 

“Cool.” Yosuke gave a gentle smile. “Well then, call me up when you've got some time and I'll come over!”

“Hey, me too! I wanna visit Sensei too!” Teddie butted in. “Yosuke, don't try to hog him all to yourself!”   
“I wasnt trying to--!” Yosuke grew flustered again. Yu smiled. Yosuke looked cute flustered. “That's not what I meant!” Yosuke sighed and gave in. “Okay, fine. You can call either of us, or both. Whatever you want.”

“I’ll let you know.” Yu replied and

“Anyway, we've got work to do. Guess we should let you get back to your shopping.” Yosuke told him and dragged Teddie off with him.

“Bye Sensei!” Teddie called out. Yu waved for a moment and then went back to his shopping, barely managing to get everything back home in one piece.


	5. February 6th

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yu and Yosuke hang out in Yosuke's room. Yosuke comes over for a movie night with Yu and Nanako.

On his way to school, he bumped into Rise. She greeted him with a welcomed enthusiasm. “Morning, Senpai!” Her tone softened as they walked. “Aww... I just realized I won't get to walk to school with you like this anymore pretty soon... Well, you know the ski trip is coming up this weekend, right? After this we won't get many more chances to relax and have fun with everyone before you leave, so let's make it count.”

Yu had been looking forward to the trip. He had gone skiing a few times, but he had never gone with friends before. He was excited and hoped that the others were excited too. “I’m looking forward to it.”

The two continued to talk about the trip until they arrived at school. 

* * *

When school ended, Yosuke and Yu walked together talking. “Since we skipped class last time I've been thinking of other things we've never done before..” Yosuke began. “ And I realized I've seen your room a bunch of times, but you've never seen mine! So do you wanna come over?”

It was a little strange, Yu admitted. Even though there was some level intimacy in going into someone’s room, Yu never had a problem with the idea before. So now why was it a big deal? It was just Yosuke’s room.

“Sure.” Yu accepted.

* * *

“Sorry about the mess... If I'd thought about this ahead of time I would have cleaned up a little.” Yosuke explained as they entered his room.

“It’s actually cleaner than I thought.” Yu admitted as he walked around looking.

“Really? I guess when you see it every day you notice things other people don't.” He smiled. “It's nowhere near as clean as yours, anyway. I don't think anyone's could be.” Yosuke laughed as they sat down. “So? What do you think?”

Yu looked around and noticed the bed. “The bed looks comfortable.” He felt a little awkward saying it, but it was true. It had been too long since he had actually slept on a bed.

“Huh? Does it?” Yosuke glanced over to his bed. “Ohhh, right I forgot you sleep in a futon.” Yosuke laughed awkwardly. “Yeah, it's all right. It's not luxurious or anything, but I prefer this style of bed. Though futons are good from time to time, too.” The two of them talked excitedly together. Yu smiled happily.

“Ooooh is that Sensei? Is Sensei here?!” Yu and Yosuke jumped startled. “Are Sensei and Yosuke scoring?!”

“Wha...? ‘Scoring’?!” Both Yu and Yosuke grew red as Teddie opened the closet door. “Why you little...” Yosuke stood up as Teddie made his way to them. Yu glanced behind him to see ‘Teddies’ room’, a collection of bedding and stuff. 

“Helloooo~ Sensei! Welcome to our humble abode!” Teddie welcomed Yu. Yosuke was still embarrassed.

“I didn’t realize you were IN there! Aren't you supposed to be working today?”

“Didn't you check the schedule? Yosuke, I'm ashamed of you...”

“Hey, I know my own schedule just fine, thank you.” His embarrassment shifted into anger. “I shouldn't need to keep track of yours, too.” Yosuke grumbled, but Teddie ignored him.

“Sensei, don't you want to see my room too?” Teddie gestured over to the closet. “Yosuke's is shockingly clean and ordinary, but mine is a work of art!”

“He can see it from here, Ted. And why is everyone so surprised I keep my room clean, anyway? When your room is a mess you lose things all the time! It's a real pain. I know I can be a little careless, but give me some credit!” Yosuke sighed wearily, he seemed disappointed now that Teddie had entered the room. “Besides, if I let it get out of hand, it'd set a bad example for Teddie. He'd have the place a total wreck before I could stop him…”

“That's right! See, Yosuke's a really considerate roommate. Sensei, I bet if you and Yosuke were roommates, your house would be spotless!” Teddie’s eyes lit up as he spoke. “You're a perfect match!”

 _A perfect match?_ Yu paused in thought. They did work well together… at least in the TV world.

“Roommates, huh? I never thought about that before...” Yosuke seemed to be wondering on the idea as well. “It's still too early to be making plans like that, but you never know...” The brunette glanced over to his partner. Yu glanced back. “Yu, wouldn't it be kinda cool to go to college together?”

“College? What's that?” Sometimes Yu forgot that Teddie was still new to the world outside of the TV.

“Oh it's a type of school they have in the city. You go there when you decide what you want to do for a living.” Yosuke seemed just as surprised at the question as Yu.

Teddie frowned. “Then... you don't want to live in Inaba anymore?”

“N-No, that's not it! I do, but...” Yosuke’s eyes wandered until he focused back on Yu. “Anyway, it's just a thought. You're definitely going to college, right, partner?” Yu nodded. That was always the plan. “With a brain like yours it'd be a total waste if you didn't. I still haven't decided what I want to do yet, but... If I go to college too, I'd rather live with you than with some stranger any day. What do you think?”

College together? Yu had never thought about it but that sounded nice. “That’s a great idea.” Yu answered. Yosuke smiled brightly at his answer. Yu smiled back, the excitement was contagious.

Teddie went over to Yu and tried to pull him. “Sensei, if you're done talking with Yosuke, come in here for a while! Check out how cozy my room is!”

“Hey, stop that!” Yosuke snapped. “ He came to visit me!”

Yu smiled. There was never a boring moment with his friends. He’d miss that. 

* * *

Yu returned home with not much thought and settled down with Nanako. As he finished making dinner his phone rang. “Hello?” He answered.

“Oh hey man, you left a notebook over at my place.” Yosuke spoke on the other line. Yu hadn’t realized he forgotten anything. 

“Oh sorry.” Yu apologized. “Is there anyway you can come drop it off?” Yu asked.

“Sure. I’m not doing anything anyway. I’ll be over in a bit.” Yosuke answered.

“Cool.” Yu hung up.

It quickly occurred to him that he didn’t even need a notebook that night. Yu had no intention of studying today and had plans to hang out with Nanako. But he did want to see Yosuke… Yu brushed it off. Yosuke wouldn’t mind it.

Yosuke came sooner than expected, which led Yu to suspect that maybe had already been on his way to his home before he called. It made him a little happier to assume that was the case. Hey, Nanako-chan!” Yosuke greeted the young girl. “Hanging out with your big brother tonight? I'm not intruding on any big plans, am I?”

“Well…One of my friends from school lent me a DVD today. I was going to ask Big bro if we could watch it together...” Nanako answered a little nervous.

“You can join us if you want.” Yu offered, hoping he would accept.

“A movie, huh? I think we could swing that. If we start now we could probably finish before you have to go to bed.”

Nanako smiled excitedly. “Can we really? Okay!” Nanako ran to get the DVD.

“Let's get some blankets and pillows and get comfortable. Ooh, and some snacks, too.” Yosuke went to grab some blankets as Yu made some quick snacks for them.

Once everything was ready the trio settled down on the couch.

Yu sat down next to an excited Nanako. The movie was a heartwarming story about a lost dog trying find his way home. Yu felt a little sad watching it.

“I really like this movie. The dog must be really lonely without its family though…” Nanako muttered and then turned to Yu. “Big bro, will you be lonely when you have to leave?”

Yu sighed. He couldn’t lie to her. “Yeah.” He admitted quietly.

“Me too…” Nanako replied.

“Don't worry, Nanako-chan.” Yosuke spoke up. Yu glanced over to him, almost forgetting that he was there. “You'll still have all of us. I'm sure Teddie will be visiting you every chance he gets, too.”

Nanako nodded looking a little more assured. “Yeah, I know. What about you? Will you be lonely without big bro, too?” She asked Yosuke.

Yosuke paused in reflection. He tensed into a worried expression. “Well... Sure, a little. But all our friends are here, so I'll be all right.” Yosuke glanced over to Yu. “It's Yu who's leaving, so he's the one who'll have it hardest...”

Yu smiled. “You guys should text me everyday!”

Yosuke smiled back a little surprised. “Huh? Haha, you sure that won't get annoying?”

The mood of the room was a little lighter. Nanako leaned into Yu. “Don't worry, big bro. If you got really lonely, I'd come find you, just like this dog!”

“W-wait, Nanako-chan. Don't just run off on your own! I think your dad would get really mad at us... “ Yosuke continued and awkwardly avoided Yu’s gaze.

They finished the movie and Yosuke left after helping Yu place Nanako to bed.


	6. February 11th - Ski Trip Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yu and friends go on their Ski trip.

The ski trip was finally here and Yu was enjoying every second of it. After a long day out on the slops, everyone gathered back to the lodge to relax… well that was the original plan anyway. During their late night chat, Yosuke suggested ghost stories and Yukiko was extremely into it. She told very detailed and convincing stories which led everyone to be a little on edge as they went off to their rooms.

Despite Yu being paired up to room with Kanji, Yosuke and Teddie tagged along on their walk to their room. “Damn, Yukiko-senpai just doesn't know when to quit.” Kanji sighed as they walked into the room. Teddie and Yosuke settled down, both looking a little nervous. Yu was shaken up himself. He was never a fan of scary stories. Kanji, however, wasn’t being discreet. He spent some time opening the room’s closets and glancing inside cautiously.

“Dude if you're gonna do that, shut the doors when you're done checking!” Yosuke shouted his voice shaking a bit. “Don't just leave them open! It's freaking me out!”

Kanji seemed a little confused by his suggestion. “Huh? How else are we gonna know what's inside them?”

Yosuke gave out an annoyed sigh. “You're not supposed to! That's the whole point! If I can't see it, it doesn't exist!”

“Oh! I get it! Yosuke, Is that why you always make me sleep with the door closed?” Teddie asked curiously.

“Senpai, you make Teddie sleep in your closet with the door closed?” Everyone glanced over to Yosuke.

“I mean it make sense doesn’t it?” Yu asked. Yosuke smiled.

“Thank you! Who doesn't want their own room, right?”

The conversation continued with a light dose of bickering until they started to grow tired. Eventually they decided to settle down, as Yu went to turn off the lightswitch, there was a light knock outside.

“Senpai, are you awake?” Rise’s voice spoke from outside the door. Yu opened the door. Sure enough Rise stood outside looking distraught. “Yukiko-senpai won't stop telling scary stories. Can I sleep with you tonight?” Rise walked into the room before he could answer. She paused surprised to see Teddie and Yosuke there. “…Huh? What are you two doing in here? Don't tell me you got scared too!” Rise chuckled amused.

Yosuke seemed embarrassed and tried to weasel out. “Of course not! This is just... male bonding! Right guys?”

Kanji and Teddie both nodded trying to play along. Yu sighed, it wasn’t very convincing.

“Right…” Rise looked suspicious. “I don't know where Yukiko-senpai heard so many ghost stories, but I don't think she's going to run out any time soon. Can't I just stay in here for a while?”

“Okay, okay! Just don't let her know we're in here, all right?” Yosuke sighed. Rise stood with a proud grin. Teddie smiled too. “…Is it a sleepover now?”

“ It DEFINITELY ain't a sleepover now.” Kanji.

After some more chatter the group finally decided to go to bed.

“Whoa, whoa, hang on a sec. There's only two beds in here! How are we gonna manage this with five people?” Yosuke noted.

“Someone's gonna have to sleep on the floor, I guess.” Kanji suggested. 

“How considerate of you to volunteer!” Teddie jumped onto one of the beds.

“Uh-uh, no way. There's no spare futon or anything!” Kanji shouted. “ 'Sides, this is me 'n Senpai's room! You guys are the ones who busted in here. One of you sleep on the floor!”

“Well, Teddie's pretty small. He might be able to fit on the bed with Yosuke-senpai and Kanji. And I'll share the other bed with Senpai~!” Rise suggested, stepping to Yu’s side and latching onto his arm.

“Look, it makes more sense to separate by age, doesn't it? Yu and me are your senpai! We deserve a little respect here! “ Yosuke seemed more angry. “Besides, we're partners, so it makes more sense for us to share a bed with each other.”

 _Sharing a bed with Yosuke?_ The thought was almost… pleasant? Yu felt a little embarrassed about it.

“Oh... Yosuke finally said it...” Teddie whispered surprised.

“Huh? Said what?” Yosuke glanced over to Teddie.

“N-no way! Me and Senpai are the biggest, so we need more room. You three are the smallest, so you can share.” Kanji reasoned.

“No fair!” Teddie argued. “ I heard about the camping trip you guys had. It's my turn to sleep with Sensei!” Teddie went to the other side of Yu and latched onto his other arm.

“Do you have to say it like that?” Yosuke winced.

Another knock on the door interrupted the conversation. Yu went to door on the other side it was Naoto. Naoto was there. With some hesitation Yu let her in. She had also been scared.

It only took a few more minutes before Chie followed suit. Chie was more angry than she was scared and chewed the group out. However, Chie didn’t leave and simply settled down with the rest of the group.

It took some time, but gradually everyone had settled into the beds. The boys on one and the girls on the other. Everyone laid down making small talk.

“Shh! Did you hear that?” Yosuke suddenly stopped the conversation.

“H-h-hear what?” Chie sat up startled. “ Don't you start too...!”

Yosuke shushed the room as the whole room went silent. An almost mournful voice echoed in the hall outside of the room.

“Where... Where is it...?” Everyone tensed.

Teddie clutched onto Yu. “W-w-w-w-w-what's that?!”

Naoto sat upright, trying to maintain her cool. “S-stay calm. It's probably another guest. The footsteps got closer.

“What do we do?” Everyone glanced over to Yu for an answer. Yu panicked and then answered.

“Kill the lights!” Yu shouted and rushed towards the lightswitch, he managed to reach the light as the voice echoed outside the door. He froze as he heard the doorknob rattle. The door opened and a few of the group screamed.

Yu recognized the figure and turned on the light. It was Yukiko . “Oh! So this was the right room! Huh? Why was everyone doing sitting in the dark?”

Chie sighed in relief. “Yukiko! Oh thank goodness...”

Yukiko tilted her head, a little confused. “Hmm? Is something wrong?” She was surprisingly clueless on the whole situation. The relief in the room palpable. It was clear that no one wanted to sleep alone. Yukiko agreed to stop telling her stories and settled on the girl’s side of the room.

Yu turned off the light and settled into the bed, between Kanji and Yosuke. “Yosuke, your elbow is digging in my side! Gimme more room.” Teddie complained.

“I can't, there isn't any! You're the one who wanted to stay in here, so sleep on the floor if it bothers you.” Yosuke whispered aggressively. “ Honestly... why'd you think it'd be a good idea to crowd into the same room?”

“Because I want to stay with everyone! I spent a long time in the TV world all alone, you know. Skiing, sleepovers... I want to do all the same fun things you guys get to do!”

“Aw man... When you put it like that, it's kinda sad...” Kanji muttered to himself.

Yu agreed. Yu hadn’t done much of those things either. But with his friends here he felt happy. It was actually better than he had expected.

Yosuke sighed, sounding apologetic. “Yeah... Fine, sorry, forget I said anything. Can we please just go to sleep...?”

Yu shifted onto his side. Could the bed be any smaller? Yu scooted away from Kanji, but suddenly found himself pressing against Yosuke. Quickly feeling his heart rate rise. Lying there, Yu felt Yosuke’s head tuck into his neck, he felt the heat radiate up to his cheeks. _He’s so close…_ Yu thought as he moved to stretch his legs. Yu’s legs bumped into Yosuke’s both of them shifting. Despite it feeling closer than he’d typically prefer, Yu started to enjoy it and something in him wanted to be… closer. As if reading his mind, Yosuke scooted closer to Yu, nestling into his back. Yu held down a gasp and tried to relax. He took a deep breath, breathing in time with Yosuke. Yosuke’s breathing slowed… and after a while Yu slipped off into sleep himself.


	7. February 12th: Ski Trip Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yu and Yosuke end up lost in the snow and find shelter in a cabin.

After an awkward morning, Yu and his friends got ready and hit the slopes. Yu did much better than he had been expecting. The day went by too quickly. Before they knew it, it was getting late.

At some point Yosuke and Yu split off from the group to race a few more times before they had to return to the lodge. When the sky started to clouded over and it’s started to snow.

“Whoa, looks like it’s not letting up.” Yosuke stopped by Yu.

“We should probably start heading back to the lodge.” Yu suggested.

Yosuke nodded. “That’s a good idea. We don’t want to get stuck out here in bad weather.” He smiled. “Let’s finish this run and go. Race you to the bottom!” Yosuke took off before Yu had a chance to agree.

Yu went to follow him, but watched as Yosuke suddenly lost his balance and then tumbled off course into the trees lining the slop.

Yu rushed over to his side and tried to help him up.

“Wait…” Yosuke clutched his ankle, cringing. “Ow! My foot…” The snow kept accumulating, a little faster now. “Nghh… I think I can get up…”

Yu offered his arm as leverage to get to his feet. Once Yosuke stood he leaned against Yu, favoring his uninjured side. “Are you ok?”

“I don’t think it’s broken, but we should get back. Sorry… I might need to rely on you a bit here.” Yosuke sighed a little as Yu adjusted himself to support Yosuke as they walked. “Which way back to the lodge?” Yosuke asked.

Yu paused. _Which way is the lodge?_

Yu turned to answer Yosuke, but Yosuke already noticed his hesitation. “You don’t have a clue, do you?”

Yu shook his head and then glanced around. “Let’s just stick to the course. It should lead us back.”

“If you’re sure…” Yosuke sounded a little less than confident.

The visibility through the snow decreased as they continued their way to the lodge. They walked for a good time with the lodge still nowhere to be seen…

“I can’t where we’re going anymore.” Yosuke told Yu, wincing. “Ngh…sorry, I’m slowing us down too much.” His toned shifted as he became apologetic. “You must be exhausted…”

It was true. Yu was exhausted. The weight of Yosuke and the weight of their combined skiis was a lot. But he had to keep going. Yosuke needed him right now. “Don’t worry about me.” Yu answered him, softly determined.

Yosuke didn’t seem so convinced. “Dude, it's bad enough to be lost out here without having to drag me around too... Ow... We have to find somewhere to stop...” Yosuke started to groan in pain. They needed to find somewhere to rest. Yu and Yosuke glanced around in order to find some refuge. “Hey, wait a sec... Is that a cottage?! Maybe we can rest there and wait out the snow... C'mon, let's hurry!”

Sure enough in the distance there was some kind of building. Yu took a deep breath and moved forward. _Just a little further_ , he thought.

When they approached the cottage, they tried to get the attention of anyone who could be in there. There wasn’t answer so Yu tried the handle. “It opened? That’s lucky…” Yu and Yosuke stepped into the cottage. “Hello? Is anybody in here?”

The cottage was empty. It looked like some kind of tool shed. At least that’s what Yu thought it could be. An empty hearth sat at the center.

“Here you should sit down.” Yu set Yosuke onto the ground near the hearth.

“Ngh... Well, even if someone comes back, hopefully they'll understand it's an emergency... Hey, wait... do you have your phone? Maybe we can call for help!” Yosuke asked.

Yu pulled out his phone to check. “No reception.” He answered and then placed his phone up. He could find a few things to start a fire, they could wait out the storm. Luckily there was some old newspapers and few matches. It took a while but he managed to start a fire.

Yu sighed relieved and settled down next to Yosuke. “Wonder how long we'll be stuck here...” Yosuke gave a weak laugh which turned into a wince of pain. “Ngh… ow…”

Yu turned to him. “Here, let me look at your ankle.” Yosuke agreed with another pained groan.

“Careful... I think it’s sprained…” He admitted. It was swollen, but like Yosuke had said earlier it didn’t look broken.

“I’ll try to make a compress.” Yu then went to grab some icicles and wrapped them in his scarf. He didn’t need it anymore anyway. He went back to Yosuke.

“Thanks... This'll keep the swelling down.” Yosuke sighed as Yu settled by his side. “Geez... First I wreck my leg, then we get lost in a blizzard. Worst trip ever, huh?”

Yu watched as Yosuke stared sadly at the fire. “At least it’ll be memorable.” Yu tried to smile lightly. 

“Ha ha seriously?” He gave a light chuckle. “Always thinking positive huh? ” Yosuke turned to Yu. “Um... I wanted to say thanks, though.” His eyes almost shimmering in the firelight. “I would've been in big trouble if you hadn't been there. It's not like I think you would have left me behind or anything like that, but... You always seem to be there when I really need you. Looks like I owe you one now, partner.”

Yu felt a warmth stir in chest. “Don’t worry about it.” He smiled. The two of them quietly talked. Yosuke leaned against Yu lightly. It was nice there, just the two of them. _He’s handsome like this._ Yu glanced over to Yosuke. He couldn’t look away. Something in him wanted to be closer. Yu quickly blushed and then shook the thought from his head as he glanced over to Yosuke’s leg. The brunette was shifting around a lot. _Oh right, it must hard for him to sit still._

Yu pulled away and started to take off his jacket. “Huh? What are you doing? Keep your coat on, it's way too cold for that...” Yosuke told him and then paused as Yu folded up his jacket. Yu lifted began to lift Yosuke’s leg to sit on top of the jacket. “You don't have to...” Yosuke let out a hiss of pain. Yu stopped. “Oww... Hey, be careful, would you?”

“Sorry…” Yu apologized quietly and lowered his leg. “I’ll go slower, ok?”

“Yeah... ok.” Yosuke settled back, trying to relax. Yu gently shifted Yosuke’s leg on top of his coat. Yosuke cursed a little. “Geez, is it supposed to hurt this much...?” He winced. Yu moved let go about to say another apology.

“S-s-s-s-stop right there!” Both Yosuke and Yu snapped their heads to see the cabin door swing open. Teddie busting into the room. “Yosuke! What happened to the line that must never be crossed?!”

“Senpai, no! Don't leave me!” Rise followed behind him. It wasn’t just Rise either, all of their friends entered the shack.

“Huh? What -- what are you guys doing here?!” Yosuke shouted surprised.

“...They're still dressed.” Rise spoke surprised.

“How the hell did you manage to find us?” Yosuke paused. “Wait, ’still dressed’...?”

Yu’s cheeks grew red. They thought that… oh.. _OH._ Yu glanced away for a moment.

“Why wouldn't they be dressed?” Yukiko asked Rise.

“D-Do I really have to spell it out...?” Naoto whispered.

The room felt even more awkward. “What are you talking about? I hurt my leg...” Yosuke explained. He grew angry. “Hey, wait a minute. The way you all burst in here... Were you outside listening?!”

“W-we didn’t want to interrupt…!”

“Yeah, it sounded… pretty serious in here…”

“Of course it was serious! We were lost in the mountains! We thought we were gonna die!” Yosuke shouted.

The group seemed a little confused. “What do you mean "lost in the mountains”? This little hut is right behind the lodge we're staying in.”

“It seems it's a storage shed. They don't lock it because workers come here often during the day.” Naoto explained. It looked like Yu’s suspicion was almost right. Though it didn’t help his or Yosuke’s embarrassment.

“No way... We were almost there?!” Yosuke tried to get up, but stopped and winced in pain. “Ngh…”

“Yosuke, you really are hurt?!” Teddie’s smile grew mischievous. “Hehe, I get it. Sensei was being your nurse...”

Yosuke grew red in embarrassment. “Not. Another. Word.” He gritted his teeth.

Yu cleared his throat to break through his own embarrassment. “Yosuke hurt his ankle while we were skiing.”

“A sprain?” Naoto glanced to Yosuke, who was avoiding everyone’s stares. “ It's a good thing we came to look for you. We'll take him to the lodge and see if they have a first aid station. Then we should get him home as soon as possible.”

Yosuke sighed. “Yes, please...”

“All right. No reason to hang around here any longer than we have to, then. Let's put this fire out and get outta here.” Kanji went to put out the fire while Teddie and Yu helped Yosuke up.

“Wow, Yosuke. You're really lucky. I bet Sensei's the best nurse there is!” Teddie smiled. Yosuke glanced away from Yu, blushing still. “Please stop calling him that...”

Yu looked away too. It was going to be an awkward trip back to Inaba.


	8. February 13th

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yu and Nanako make chocolates for Valentine's Day.

Yu had expected valentine’s day. Typically he would receive quite a bit of chocolate. It was odd though, no one really talked to him directly but he wondered if his calm but relaxed demeanor drew attention just enough to warrant this.

What he had not expected was Teddie’s ‘Challenge’ to get the most amount of chocolate on Valentine’s day. Yu wasn’t sure Teddie really understood the concept. After an embarrassing call-out on a Junes commercial, Yosuke called Yu.

“What... the hell... am I looking at?! That devious little... I can't believe my parents let him do this! And people are falling for it?!” Yosuke sighed. “ I was supposed to be there today. They must have asked Teddie to fill in for me… Argh, you know what this means, don't you?! Teddie's gonna get a ton of chocolate! Yu... we have to beat him.” A determination flared in Yosuke’s voice. “No matter what, we have to get more chocolate than him tomorrow! We'll never live it down if we don't! Our pride is on the line! Let's do our best and make sure we win!”

Yosuke hung up before Yu could respond. Yu sighed. It was very clear that neither of the other boys understood that it was too late to really control how much chocolate they got.

“Big bro?” Nanako called him from the couch. “Do you think you could help me make homemade chocolate? A bunch of girls in my class were talking about Valentine's Day......They said that giving store-bought chocolate was the same as saying you didn't care!”

Yu smiled with a firm nod. “Let’s do it.”

Yu would never tell anyone, but he had made chocolates and candies before. It was almost a comfort food when he would go through different schools and different guardians.

After some chopping, melting and tempering, the chocolate had cooled with a glossy finish. “Oh! It's so pretty!” Nanako mused as Yu grabbed some things to decorate the chocolate and to wrap them. The young girl was beaming and Yu smiled brightly, after everything that had happened having this kind of domesticity was more than welcomed. 

“There, that's everybody! Thanks, big bro! Now maybe I can give homemade chocolates every year! To you and daddy and all my friends...” Nanako paused, her voice going quiet as reality struck. “...Oh...I just remembered. You won't be here next Valentine's Day, will you, big bro?”

Yu frowned. _Who will help her next year?_ Even though his Uncle would still be there, it wasn’t guaranteed that he would be there for her. Not just that but Yu would be alone too. He was old enough that those who took him in would leave him be most of the time. _Who will be there for me?_ He frowned in a moment of vulnerability. “I’ll be lonely making chocolates by myself. “

Nanako watched him worried. “I don’t want you to be lonely...” Nanako nodded with a sharp determination. “Don't worry, big bro! Next year, I'll go visit you! I'll be bigger then, so I can help you make even more chocolate!” Yu stared a little surprised by her. “Anyway, it'll be okay! Because I can always send them through the mail too, right? I'll even make some earlier so they get there in time for Valentine's Day!” She grinned trying to reassure him.

Yu smiled. Even though he’d be apart from Nanako and his friends, they would still be in his heart. But somehow he still felt as if leaving wouldn’t be right… as if he was missing something.

“Oh! There's a box of chocolates left over! Here, big bro! You should give chocolates, too!” Nanako handed him the last box. “Since you made them with care, you should give them to someone you reaaaaaally treasure, okay?”

Yu nodded. It would definitely be a first for him, but he knew he would feel bad if he didn’t give it to someone. The two chatted a bit before Yu had to put Nanako to bed. Yu settled into bed, wondering who he would give his chocolates to.


	9. February 14th: Valentine's Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yu gives Yosuke chocolates for Valentine's Day.

As Yu went through the day, he received a lot of from his friends and classmates that he had gotten to know over the year. At the end of classes, he still had the chocolates that he had made with Nanako in his bag. There was only one person he wanted to give them to… Yu glanced to Yosuke behind him. Yosuke had received a total of two chocolates and seemed distraught. It hurt Yu to see him so down trot. Yu took a deep breath, before doing anything. _Should I really give him the chocolates? What if he doesn’t accept them?_ Yu swallowed a bit of air and then spoke. “H-Hey Yosuke.” His voice started to shake a little. “Are you free to go somewhere?”

Yosuke didn’t seem to notice anything and sighed. “Sorry dude, I gotta go to work today. If it's important you can walk with me if you want.”

Yu hesitated, he could back out now if he wanted… but still… He gathered up his strength and nodded. “Sure.”

“Are you sure you wouldn't rather hang around here, though? Girls have gotta be giving out chocolates soon....Right?” Yosuke shot Yu a desperate glance. It made Yu felt worse, Yosuke had seen all of the chocolates he had received. After a moment he sighed and then stood up. “Ahh, who am I kidding? Let's go, Yu. There's nothing for us here.”

Together they made their way to Junes. Yosuke complained about the day and about work, mostly due to Teddie’s new popularity. As they past the park, they slowed down. Yu glanced down to Yosuke who had started to limp a little.

Yosuke spoke up as he noticed Yu’s stare. “Oh, my leg? Yeah, it's still kinda busted... Guess I won't be doing the basketball game after all. I was kinda looking forward to it, too...” He sighed and stretched his back a little. “Man, I can't catch a break lately, huh?”

Yu was about to comment, until he suddenly remembered the chocolates in his bag. “Oh that reminds me.” The two of them stopped walking. Yu had to sift through his bag for a moment to reach the box. When he grabbed it he immediately held it out to him, glancing away from Yosuke.. “Huh? What's this? A get well soon present?” Yu felt his heart race as Yosuke went to tear open the wrapping. When he opened the box, Yosuke eyes lit up for a brief second. Yu watched anxiously. “...! It's... chocolate?” Yosuke’s cheeks grew red. “W-wait, you're giving me chocolate? TODAY?!”

The brunette stared at the box, looking like he was about to panic. _Crap..._ Yu’s cheeks grew red. “Oh sorry. I can’t take them back—"

As Yu reached back for them, Yosuke turned away, clutching them to his chest. “Hey, no take-backs!” He snapped.

Yu frowned and then spoke, trying to ease the tension. “Nanako and I made them. We had some left… so I....” His voice trailed off as he started to blush from embarrassment.

Yosuke calmed down a little and tured back to Yu, his cheeks still rosy. “Y-Yeah, but... That means these are... homemade chocolates, right?” Yosuke glanced down, his cheeks darkening again. “Dude, you know what that means, don't you? Don't tell me you're that dense...”

Even though he knew that that’s what they meant… he didn’t fully understand what that meant about Yu’s feelings for Yosuke. He gave Yosuke a firm nod. There was strange moment between them, something Yu couldn't quite understand, but after a moment the tension lifted and Yosuke smiled.

“Ha Actually, the more I think about it, this is exactly the kind of thing you'd do, isn't it? You've got guts, man...........” He gave a light chuckle. Yu gave out a sigh of relief and smiled. “A-As long as you didn't give some to everyone else!” He told him.

Yu shook his head and replied with a soft tone. “No just you.”

  
Yosuke’s eyes widened slightly. “Oh, uh... I wasn't actually being serious, but...Wow, really...?” He glanced at Yu, strangely proud. Yu couldn’t stop smiling, his heart warming. “Thanks, Yu. You're really something.”

The two of them continued their walk to Junes, Yosuke returning to his carefree and bold attitude. After Yosuke was dropped off at Junes, Yu returned home for the evening. Nanako helped Yu eat some of his chocolates, despite Dojima encouraging otherwise. Yu didn’t mind though it was just another thing that he wouldn’t be able to do again when he left.

When Yu settled down for the night, he felt his phone buzz. Yosuke had texted him:

**_partner these chocltes r AWESUM!!!_ **

**_srsly their so gud wtf_ **

**_ur amazing!!_ **

Yu smiled pulling his phone to his chest, a strange and warm sensation filling his chest as he fell asleep.


	10. February 15th

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yu and Yosuke retry drawing fortunes at the Shrine.

Classes had broken for lunch when Kou came up to Yu. “Yu!”

Yu turned to Kou a bit surprised. “I need your help, man. I heard Yosuke got hurt on the weekend. That really sucks, but he was supposed to play in the basketball game tomorrow! Can you fill in for him? Please?! I wouldn't ask if the situation wasn't desperate!”

Luckily for Yu he had already made plans to go to the game, so he didn’t mind filling in for Yosuke while he was there. Besides the guys on the basketball team seemed to be looking for it. _I don’t play basketball, but if they need me…_ Yu gave a nod. “Sure, no problem.”

“Really?!” Kou grinned. “Thanks, Yu, you're the best! You're really saving my neck, here. I'll find some way to make it up to you, I promise! I've gotta run, but I'll be in touch to let you know the details. Thanks again! See you!” Kou disappeared into the halls before Yu could ask anything.

The rest of his classes were pretty boring though Yu was picked on once or twice to answer questions.

“Hey Yosuke. I’m going to be covering you for the game tomorrow.” Yu told him as they walked out of class.

“Whoa, really?!” Yosuke lit up. Yu nodded with a smile. “Thanks man, you saved me skin!” The two of them walked into the hallway. “Oh are you free? Wanna go somewhere?”

“Yeah sounds good to me.”

* * *

Yu and Yosuke continued to chat about the game as they walked, eventually passing by the Tatsuhime Shrine. Yu couldn’t help but glance over to it. The terrible fortune he received still making him uneasy. Yosuke sighed. “The shrine, huh? Ever since I got that awful fortune the last time we were here, I haven't been able to stop thinking about it...”

Yu glanced over to Yosuke, who seemed pensive. _I guess he’s thinking about it too. Maybe we should try again?_ Yu turned to Yosuke. “Do you want to stop here for a minute?” He offered. Yosuke nodded.

“Yeah I want try to get a better fortune this time.” They walked to the shrine.

The two of them decided to pull another fortune, this time hopefully something better. Yosuke smiled when he looked at his. “Whoa! I don't believe it! "Great Blessing!” He showed it off to Yu.

 _Wow his really improved._ Yu watched as Yosuke read out his fortune happily.

“ Yesss! Finally! This is all great stuff!” Yosuke then leaned over to look at Yu’s. Yu felt more confident with Yosuke there and opened his curse, expecting some improvement. “’Great Curse’." Yu frowned.

“Oh... same as last time, huh? That sucks.” Yosuke replied almost equally disappointed. “It would've been cool if both of us could've done better.” Yosuke placed his into his pocket.

Yu went quietly to tie his bad fortune to the fence with the other omikuji.

The two of them then sat on a bench nearby. “Now that I think about it, I'm not surprised my fortune improved. It's probably got a lot to do with you.” Yosuke glance over to Yu. “You know how they say positive thinking can bring positive results?” He smiled softly. “I think the idea of going to college with you has really boosted my energy lately. It's good to have a goal of some kind to focus on.”

Yu stared at Yosuke, admiring the determination in his eyes. “You’re serious about this, aren’t you?”

Yosuke leaned back. “Of course! When I make up my mind about something, I go for it whole-heartedly. Besides, we make a good team, right? Why wouldn't I want to stick with you?”

“That we do.” Yu leaned back as well. The thought of them together in college brought him for comfort than he would admit out loud.

After a brief moment of contemplation, Yosuke leaned forward as something came to mind. “Wait a sec... Say, partner... what kind of schools do you think you'll be trying for anyway? I just realized that any school you could get into would be pretty far out of my reach...” He sounded disheartened.

Yu never gave it much thought. Of course, his parents expected him to go the best possible school, but what did he want… _I want to go to school with Yosuke. Whatever that means._ “It doesn’t matter to me.” Yu spoke out loud. Yosuke seemed surprised but didn’t press him for more details.

“Oh yeah? Well that's heartening... Still, I wouldn't want to feel like I was holding you back or anything like that.” With a firm nod, Yosuke stood up. “All right, it's settled. For this plan to have a chance, I have to seriously pull up my grades! If this is what I decided, then I've gotta put my mind to it and work hard.” He smiled and turned to Yu. “We're equals. There's no way you're gonna leave me behind!” There was a determination in Yosuke’s eyes that Yu hadn’t seen in a while. “Well, guess I should go home and start studying.” Yosuke grabbed his bag. Yu did the same. “ I'll call you if I need help. Later!”

The two of them parted ways for the day. After a quick dinner, Yu went up to his room to study. He felt more tired than expected so he turned in for the night.


	11. February 16th: The Basketball Game

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yu tries to substitute for Yosuke at the basketball game, however things take a bad turn.

Getting out of bed took all of Yu’s energy. He felt heavy and achy as he got dressed. Despite how he felt, he knew he would feel worse if he called in sick now. With some difficulty he gathered his things and headed to the school.

Kou and Daisuke met him on the road. Kou was grinning, excited for the game. “Morning, Yu. All set for the game today? Thanks again for taking over for Hanamura. You really saved my neck.”

“That's just the kind of dependable guy he is!” Daisuke nudged him. “As expected from the soccer team, right?” He chuckled.

Yu faked a smile and gave a solid nod. “I’ll do my best.”

“I know you will, dude! That's all I need.”

The three of them walked to school as Yu started to feel worse and worse. 

* * *

As he warmed up, Yu had trouble focusing. If possible, he felt even worse than before. His head was pounding, he felt too warm and too dizzy. _I can’t quit now._ He convinced himself. He saw how excited his friends had been for this. How excited Yosuke was for this. He couldn’t ruin that.

“All right, guys, this is it! Let's have some fun and kick some asses!” Kou told the team as they got together. “Hey, Yu... You okay, man?” Yu glanced to Kou. Kou was frowning. “You look a little wobbly.”

“Your face is a little... wobbly...” Yu’s attempt to be funny quickly fell apart

“...Are you feeling all right, dude? Come here...” Kou placed the back of his hand against his forehead. He pulled back surprised. “Whoa, you do feel warm...” The referee blew the whistle to signal the game is about to start. Kou spoke anxiously. “Just hang in there for a bit and if you need to call a time out do it.” Kou refocused on the team. “Here we go, guys!” Kou shouted and the game started.

Right away, Yu felt his body fight against him. His breathing quickened and everything around him swayed. “Hey –Yu? Yu!” Yu felt a soft impact as his vision started to darken. “Hey time out!”

The sound of the ref’s whistle being blown is the last thing he heard before passing out.

* * *

When Yu opened his eyes, he found himself staring at the ceiling of the nurse’s office. He could feel a blanket over him, but he still felt cold. He looked over to see Nanako and Dojima sitting nearby. “Nanako?” Yu muttered as he slowly sat up, still dizzy. Nanako immediately flew to his side as she saw him awake.

“Big bro!”

“Ah, you're awake.” His uncle walked up behind her, a concerned look on his face. “I talked to the nurse. Looks like you've got a fever. Did you decide to play today knowing you weren't feeling well? Honestly, you should know better than that...” He sighed. Yu frowned, feeling guilty. “It's a good thing Nanako and I were here so we can take you home.”

The door to the nurse’s office opened, giving Yu a glimpse of the crowd hanging around outside. _Is everyone waiting for me?_ Yu wondered his friends walked in… Yu felt his stomach sink and decided to lay down. Of course it was nice for them to come see him, but still… he felt embarrassed over the whole situation.

“Whew! Made it... You definitely attracted some attention, Yu.” Kou went up to him first, despite his light tone he couldn’t hide his concern. 

Yosuke nearly ran up to his bedside, his expression was guilt-ridden. “Dude, are you okay?” He stared intensely at Yu and apologized. “I'm sorry. This is my fault, huh? You only had to play today because of me...” His voice trailed off. Yu felt even more guilty than before. His heart hurt seeing Yosuke take the blame.

“No…I’m sorry. It was my fault.” Yu’s voice was weak. Yosuke winced at the sound.

“Why, because you didn't stay home?” Yosuke sighed. “I guess, but you wouldn't have been in this situation if it weren't for me...” It seemed that both of them felt they were to blame.

The rest of the investigation team gave their concerns, they attempted to be comforting but Yu just felt even worse. Eventually Kanji stepped up to take Yu’s place in the game. Mostly because Kou needed someone and no one else was going to do it. After some back in forth, most of the group had left to go watch the end of the game. “I’d better help give Kanji at least a crash course in basketball.” Yosuke moved away from Yu’s sighed and spoke quietly to himself. “This is gonna be a disaster...” He glanced back over to Yu, a soft sincerity in his gaze. “Are you going to be okay, partner?” Yu gave a weak smile and a light nod.

Dojima nodded. “I'll take him home and make sure he gets to bed.”

“Okay. I'll text you later to let you know how it went. Wish them luck.” Assured, Yosuke took off to help the basketball team prepare Kanji. 

Yosuke follows the others out of the nurse's office. His uncle turned to him. “Well, I'm going to find the nurse again and let her know we're taking you home. You just sit tight with Nanako for a few minutes.” Yu nodded and laid down, his muscles aching. Nanako hovered by bedside.

“Don't worry, big bro. I know how to make soup! It's just from a box, but it'll help you feel better...” She assured him. Yu’s vision darkened again and he slipped back into sleep.

* * *

When he woke up again, he laid on his futon. His uncle must have brought him home on his own. Yu felt upset… he was glad that Dojima was there to bring him home… but still he could have… He gave a stifled groan as he shifted, drenched in sweat and uncomfortable.

It was dark and Yu didn’t know where his phone was. Though even he didn’t he couldn’t reach it. Yu laid there and tried to relax enough to sleep. The sound of crackling… or was it sleet… stirred in his clouded hearing. A faint yellow glow seemed to light the room for a moment, but when he glanced over to the TV all that he saw there was a reflection a light outside. He sighed and pulled the cover over his head and fell back into an uneasy sleep.


	12. February 17th

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yu recovers from his sickness.

Yu woke up to his alarm. _Morning already?_ He turned over, his body feeling worse than it had the day before. He sighed as much as he wanted to go to school. He knew that he wouldn’t be physically capable of leaving the house today. After struggling, he managed to get up and turn off his alarm. When he finished he collapsed onto his bed and passed out.

A soft knock on his door, woke him up. Based off of the light from outside, Yu figured that it was around afternoon. “Big bro? Are you awake?” The door cracked open. Yu sat up as Nanako walked in with a tray of soup. “How are you feeling? You've been asleep a long time...”

“I’m doing a little better.” Yu wasn’t sure if that was entirely true, but he didn’t want to worry her more.

“I made you some soup. I hope it makes you feel better...” She handed him the bowl.

“Thank you.” His stomach growled as he took in the smell of the soup. He hadn’t realized how hungry he actually was. Yu started to eat and Nanako left the room for a bit. When she came back, she held something in her hands.

“Guess what Big bro!” She went over to him. “You were in the newspaper!”

Yu placed down his bowl and took the newspaper clipping his hands. It was a small article about yesterday's basketball game. It started off by mentioning Yu’s unfortunate accident. He sighed. It was weird to think that everyone at the game would remember him for that. Yu handed it back to Nanako.

Nanako didn’t seem to notice his sad demeanor and just giggle excitedly. “I’m gonna keep it!” Nanako continued to talk to Yu about things until he finished his meal. When he did, she took the tray downstairs and returned to give medicine and a quick goodnight.


	13. February 18th

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yu and Yosuke try to save Yosuke's hide by helping him turn in a quiz without the teacher knowing. They end up in an awkward situation.

The next day, Yu felt much better if not a bit fatigued. Being at school was a little awkward after everything. Before he knew it managed to make it through the school day with his dignity intact.

As he walked out into hall, he noticed Yosuke. Yosuke smiled and walked over to him. “Hey Yu, are you feeling better?”

Yu nodded. “Much better. Do you want to walk home together?”

Yosuke’s smile faded as he shifted a little uncomfortable. “Actually... I need your help with something.”

“What is it?” Yu asked him.

Yosuke sighed. “It’s about that quiz we just finished in class...” Yosuke glanced down, worried. “Kashiwagi grabbed mine off my desk when I was done, but she took the wrong paper. She just grabbed a sheet full of doodles!” Yosuke looked back up to Yu, pleading with him. “You gotta help me switch it out with the real one!”

Yu couldn’t say no to Yosuke. Not when he knew that Yosuke was doing his best. Yu nodded “Alright let’s do it.”

Yosuke smiled in relief. “Oh man, you are a lifesaver. I owe you big time.” Yosuke thought for a moment to determine a plan. “Okay, here's what we'll do. Kashiwagi just took the quizes down to the faculty office. I don't think she actually saw the paper. We'll wait for her to leave, sneak in real quick, and switch it out with my real quiz. Got it?”

“But what if someone sees us?”

“I don't know, we'll think of something!” Yosuke didn’t seem to have much of a plan. “...Or we'll get expelled. One or the other. Come on, man, you already said you'd go. No take-backs!”

Together they hurried to the faculty office. Miraculously none of the teachers were even close to the faculty office. If they were quick Yu was confident they could get away with it. Yosuke took another glance around the space. “Okay. Coast is clear. Let's hurry before someone shows up.”

The two of them entered the space. Yu remained back to guard the door while Yosuke hurried to Kashiwagi’s desk. “Come on, where is it…” Yosuke shuffled through some papers. “Ah ha!” Yosuke shouted as he held up a piece of paper. He switched out the papers and placed the doodle page into his pocket. Yosuke then went up to Yu, a pleased look on his face. “Okay, let's get out of here before—”

Yosuke went quiet as the two of them heard footsteps from the hallway outside. The boys exchanged terrified looks. “Shit someone’s coming. What do we do?!” Yosuke looked to Yu for guidance.

Yu thought for a moment and then glanced around, maybe they could hide until the person left. There didn’t seem to be a good hiding spot… except… He looked over to the back of the room. “The broom closet.”

Yosuke panicked. “What?!” Yosuke’s voice turned to a whisper. “The broom closet? With my luck a janitor’ll come in or something!” The footsteps got closer.

“No time.” Yu grabbed his arm and dragged him into the broom closet as quickly as he could. They closed the door with little time to spare.

The space is cramped and dark. Yosuke is awkwardly pressed in by Yu, trying not to move. Yosuke moved and tripped on what Yu thought was a broom. Yu bent down to try and help somehow. He tried to kneel down, but ended up slipping on a rag. He slipped and fell partially onto Yosuke. Yu pulled himself partially up onto all fours. Before Yu had the chance to apologize, the two heard the door of office slide open. 

_Shit someone’s here._ Yu stayed still. His heart racing. As he steadied his breathing, Yu became _very_ aware of how close Yosuke was. He couldn’t see it, but he could tell that Yosuke was underneath him. Was Yu… excited by this? _I’m not… I can’t be… I mean it’s just Yosuke right?_ He imagined what Yosuke looked like now. Was he blushing? _Shit it’s Yosuke…I’m…_ Yu turned his head, his cheeks growing red as he tried not to look forward.

After a while they heard the door close. “A-Are they gone?” Yu’s voice cracked as he slowly found a way to get off of Yosuke.

“ I-I'm gonna check!” Yosuke hurried away from Yu and cracked open the closet door. “I don't see anyone... I think the coast's clear...” Both of them walked out, Yosuke turned away from Yu. “That was way too close... In more ways than one.”

Yu sighed and took a bit to catch his breath. “You got us into this.”

Yosuke groaned, finally meeting Yu’s stare. “Yeah Yeah I know.” Yu watched his expression. His cheeks were still a bit red. “Geez... “ Yosuke placed a hand on his neck. Uh, but seriously... Thanks for your help.” Yosuke gave him a genuine smile. “ I meant it when I said I wanted to get better grades... And letting Kashiwagi see THAT instead of my quiz would've messed that up for sure. I can't risk a stupid mistake like that ruining all my plans for college!”

It was surprising to see Yosuke talk about his future so seriously. When Yu first meet him, Yosuke hardly seemed serious about anything. They both had changed so much since then. Yosuke placed a hand on Yu’s shoulder. “C'mon, Yu. We'd better get out of here before someone finds us. Wouldn't want you getting in trouble because of me...”

The two of them left and Yu headed home.

That night Yu had trouble sleeping, he couldn’t help but think back to the closet. Was he really starting to feel what he thought he was? Eventually he grew tired and fell asleep.


	14. February 23rd

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yu and Yosuke helped around Junes.

After a long day of classes, Yu and Yosuke decided to walk to Yu’s house and study. “You mind if we stop by Junes first? I left my bag in the staff room the other day. It'll only take a minute.”

Yu didn’t mind the detour and went to Junes with Yosuke. The place was busier than Yu had expected. _Some kind of sale?_

Yosuke noticed it too. “Man, they look pretty swamped today. I wonder what's up? Well, not my problem. I'm not scheduled to work today. Oh crap... Maybe I spoke too soon..” Yu turned to see what Yosuke was looking at. His father approached him.

He addressed him roughly. “Yosuke, glad you're here. A few people called in sick. I need you to fill in for them.”

“Are you serious?” Yosuke groaned. “This was supposed to be my day off...”

“ I don't have a choice. I'll see about switching your day off, but in the meantime, I need you here.”

Yosuke sighed. “Guess there's no getting around it...” He turned to Yu, defeated. “Sorry, Yu. We'll hang out some other time, okay?”

“I can help to if you want.” Yu offered. _It’s not like I have anything else planned today._ Yosuke seemed surprised.

“Seriously? You don't have to do that.  
Yosuke smiled. “But if you're offering, we won't turn you down.”

With that Yu grabbed an apron and went with Yosuke to help around with restocking and helping customers.

As the day came to the close Teddie ran into them and struck up a conversation. “ Yosuke, are you still thinking about moving in with Sensei? I'm getting a little jealous...” Teddie admitted a little embarrassed.

“Huh? What for? It's not like I'm going to forget about you if I move in with Yu...” Yosuke assured him.

Teddie grew irritated. “I'm not jealous of Sensei! I'm jealous of you! You might get to live with him! Look at him!” Teddie gestured to Yu. “He looks amazing in an apron, he takes care of Nanako-chan, he cooks, and cleans, and who knows what else! He's the perfect husband! Yosuke, you have no idea how lucky you are!”

Yu blushed, when Teddie put it like that… Teddie went down on his knees holding onto Yu’s legs. “Sensei, take me back! If Yosuke doesn't want to move in with you anymore, let it be me!”

It was a bit flattering in a way, though Yu couldn’t tell how much of Teddie’s speech was overly dramatic and how much Teddie actually meant. Before Yu could respond, Yosuke stepped in. “Hey, that's NOT going to happen! I'm going to study hard and ace every exam! However many it takes so I can follow Yu to the city!” Yosuke nearly shouted. His tone determined and almost… possessive? “So don't get any ideas!”

Both Yu and Teddie were speechless. Teddie stood up. “Whoa... I underestimated the power of Yosuke's love for Sensei! I'd better be careful...”

“He he, that's right...” Yosuke grinned a little too pleased. Yu couldn’t help but smile too. His expression quickly changed as he thought over what was just said. “ I mean, w-wait a sec! Don't I get a say in this? It's not like we're getting married, dumbass!” Yosuke glanced away a flustered.

 _He’s kinda cute like that._ Yu tried hard not to smile. 

“Ugh... but as weirdly as he phrased it, Teddie does kinda have a point. I can't imagine a better roommate than you, Yu. You're like a perfect storm of domestic skills. I bet living with you will be pretty easy.”

The trio continued to talk as they cleaned, the mood returning to something more comfortable and casual. Teddie ran off to go talk to more customers, leaving Yu and Yosuke to finish up on their own.

As the crowds thinned, Yosuke’s dad returned. “Okay, the crowd's thinning out so I think you two can go home now.”

“Whew, glad to hear it. What a day.” Yosuke. 

“Yu-kun, thanks for helping us out. Yosuke talks about you all the time. Moving here was hard on him, so I'm glad he's made such a good friend. “ Yosuke’s dad. “Make sure to stay in touch with him after you leave Inaba, okay?”

“Of course he will!” Yosuke.

“Well, you never know. People get busy and forget to call. And there was that other kid before... What was his name? Katsura?” Yosuke’s dad.

“...Katsuragi.” Yosuke’s initial surprised turned to a bitter expression. One that Yosuke’s Dad didn’t seem to notice.

“Right, Katsuragi. That was it. Friendships are very resilient, but you still have to put the effort into nurturing them. So make sure you don't take each other for granted.”

Yosuke sighed. “Yeah...”

“Well, I've got work to finish. Thanks again, you two. See you at home, Yosuke.” Yosuke’s dad waved as he walked off. Yu turned back to a quiet and sullen Yosuke. Yu was a little unsure what to say, but he wanted to know… “Who’s Katsuragi?”

Yosuke turned away from him. “...No one.” Yosuke sighed. “I don't want to talk about it. I'll see you at school, all right? Later.” Yosuke walked away in the direction of the staff room. Yu frowned. The name had obviously hit a sore spot in Yosuke’s memory. He hadn’t meant to overstep any boundaries. As he walked home, Yu hoped that this could be brushed off.


	15. February 25th

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yosuke gives Yu an almost apology during their study session.

When classes ended for the day, Yosuke asked Yu to help him study at the Library. Yu agreed, though he still felt bad about what had happened the day before. Yosuke didn’t seem bothered though.

The brunette pulled out his notes and placed them onto the table. “All right, time to get to work!” He spent a moment to look over everything and then scratched his head. “Uhhh I think I went overboard with taking notes in class this time. There's way too much material here to sort through.” Yosuke turned to Yu, who had pulled out his own notes. “Think you can help me out?”

Yu nodded. “Sure I’ll see what I can do.”

Yosuke smiled. “Thanks, partner. You've always got my back. Just like last time at Junes...” Yosuke frowned in thought. “Um... Hey, about the other day at work... Sorry I bailed on you all of a sudden. All that stuff Dad said kinda put me in a bad mood. Um... How can I put it...” Yosuke took a moment to think. Yu patiently waited. Yosuke nervously rubbed the back of his neck. “He mentioned ‘Katsuragi’, right?” Yu nodded. “Well... Katsuragi was a friend of mine from back when I lived in the city.”

 _From the city?_ Yosuke had never mentioned anyone specific from his time before Inaba. It was surprising and Yu had several questions but held back. Yosuke still seemed like he had more to say.

“Looking back, we weren't super close or anything like that, but I still consider him a friend.” Yosuke’s expression tensed. “Or at least, I did...” He sighed. “You know what happened, right. After I moved here, it wasn't long before I stopped hearing from them.” Yosuke glanced down, his face looked pained. “Even him... My supposed ‘friends’ didn't want anything to do with me anymore I guess...” Yosuke’s voice was raw with emotion. It was tinged with a bitterness as he continued. “I guess that kind of thing happens all the time, right? But still...” Yosuke refocused on Yu. “When Dad compared you to him, it really freaked me out. That was a shitty time in my life. I don't think I can stand to go through anything like that again...”

Yu felt his chest ache. Yu knew exactly what he meant. If he had known, he wouldn’t have brought it up at all. “I understand.”

Yosuke glanced at him surprised. “Oh, really? Now that you mention it, you've never talked about any friends you had back in the city either... Maybe we're more alike than I thought. I should've known you'd understand.” Yosuke looked embarrassed and tried to shrug it off. Though Yu could still see how upset he was. “I guess more than anything I hated how... inevitable it was. Like my friends and I all knew I was leaving, and we probably knew we'd fall out of touch, too. We all saw it coming, but we were powerless to do anything about it...(worried)...Now it's happening again, huh?” Yosuke’s voice started to shake again.

Yu placed a hand on Yosuke’s shoulder. Yosuke snapped out of his troubled state and met Yu’s stare with a strange sincerity. “Please Yosuke, Give me a chance.”

Yosuke blushed a little and then glanced away for a moment as he replied. “Yeah... I know. Maybe I'm not being fair.” He looked back to Yu and spoke earnestly. “But I really thought...” Yosuke hesitated but then released his thoughts with an exhale. “I really thought it wouldn't MATTER, y'know? I thought friends stayed friends, no matter how far apart you were. But... I guess I was wrong.”

Yu removed his hand. For the first time he was really seeing how scared Yosuke was of losing his friends…

“So what we say right now doesn't really matter, does it? The only thing that matters is our actions. And right now I can't take any action at all… Except to study my ass off and hope we get into the same school...” Yosuke looked depressed. Yu stared for a moment, watching the lines of anxiety and desperation on Yosuke’s face.

Yu tried to tell a joke. Yosuke cringed and laughed. “Pfff... ha ha. What the hell? That was the lamest punchline ever. Where do you get this stuff?”

Yu smiled as Yosuke’s mood lifted. Together they reviewed some more topics. When they finished up Yu went home.


	16. February 26th: Snowed In

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yosuke gets snowed in with Yu and Nanako at the Dojima Residence. In his dreams Yu has a frightening encounter in the Velvet Room.

Yu spent his day off reading over some career books. Studying with Yosuke had further pushed Yu into thinking about his own college plans. Where would he go? What would he do? Those answers didn’t have clear answers, but he started to get some further ideas as he read.

At some point Nanako had called him for dinner. Yu hadn’t realized that it had grown late. He went down to eat with Nanako. He felt a little guilty for not help Nanako, but she was proud that he didn’t say anything.

As the two of them at dinner and chatted quietly. Yu’s phone rang. “Hello.” Yu picked up.

“Hey, it's me.” Yosuke told him. “ Mind if I come over for a while? There's something I wanted to ask, but... I dunno, I'd feel better if it was in person.” He sounded tensed.

“Sure is everything alright?” Yu asked carefully.

“Oh, it's not an emergency or anything like that, don't worry. I'll come by soon, okay?”

“Alright.” Yu hung up and turned to Nanako to tell her about it. She smiled, she always did like company.

Eventually the doorbell rang. Yu went to the door and opened it to see a snow-covered Yosuke. Yu glanced out behind him, he hadn’t noticed that the snow was the heavy. He let Yosuke inside. “Yo. Have you looked outside lately? It’s getting kinda bad out there.” He shook off the snow. “Brr… Glade I’m inside.”

“Hello!” Nanako greeted him as he entered the main room.

Yosuke smiled. “Hi Nanako-chan. Hanging out with your big bro tonight?”

Nanako nodded. “Yep. Dad's still at work, so it's just us.”

“Still at work, huh? Hope he gets home soon. The roads are getting bad...” Yosuke spoke concerned. Nanako seem equally concerned.

“I hope so too. Oh, maybe I should call him? I'm not supposed to call him at work unless it's an emergency, but maybe he doesn't know it's snowing.” Nanako thought.

Yu nodded. “That’s good idea.”

Nanako went to the phone, while Yu and Yosuke stood by the kitchen table. “So… you wanted to talk about something.”

“Huh? Oh... yeah, right.” Yosuke grew shy. “I- Uh… it's not really a big deal, but—”

“-Big bro?” Yu turned to Nanako, who held the phone in her hands. “Dad wants to talk to you...”

Yu left Yosuke’s side and took the phone from Nanako. “Hello?”

“Hey, it's me.” Dojima sounded worried. “Sorry to do this to you, but are you okay to watch Nanako tonight? One of the guys tried to leave the precinct and got in an accident. It's not safe on the roads right now, so I'm going to stay here. We could be stuck here overnight.” Dojima sighed. “If the power goes out there's an emergency kit in the hall closet. It should have flashlights and candles. Extra blankets are in there too.”

“Okay. Stay safe.” Yu admitted.

“Keep warm. See you tomorrow. And thanks.” Dojima replied and hung up.

Yu turned to Nanako, who seemed to already understand what was going on. “Dad's not coming home tonight, huh?”

Yu shook his head. “Sorry Nanako, it’s too dangerous for him to come home right now.” Nanako nodded.

“I understand. We'll keep the house safe for Dad until he gets back.” Nanako did her best to put on a brave face. 

“It's probably for the best he decided to stay put. Winter in Inaba can be pretty brutal.” Yosuke glanced to the door, thinking about the snow. “ I wonder if they'll cancel school tomorrow?”

“If they do, can we play in the snow?” Nanako asked.

Yu nodded. Yosuke turned back to her and smiled. “Hey, yeah, that's a great idea! I haven't done that in ages.”

“Yay! Does that mean you're staying the night?” Nanako asked him.

“Huh?” Yosuke glanced nervously to Yu. “Oh, uh... I don't wanna intrude...”

“It’s no trouble.” Yu smiled. Yosuke relaxed and nodded.

“Well, if you're okay with it... Thanks. I'll call home to let them know I'm staying.”

* * *

The three of them moved to the living room to sit at the kotasu together. Nanako pulled the curtain so they could watch the snow pile up outside. It fell harder now, like a blizzard.

“I'm glad we got a new kotatsu this year, Big Bro. It's so warm...” Nanako grinned.

“Yeah. Nothing beats this in the winter, that's for sure. You should have seen Ted the first time we turned ours on at home. I didn't think he was ever gonna leave it.” Yosuke laughed.

Yu smiled and soaked in the warmth. He hated the cold of winter. It would be one thing he would not miss about Inaba. “Do you have a kotatsu at home, Big Bro?” Nanako eagerly asked him.

Yu shook his head. “No.” They never needed one.

  
“Oh, I see. Then this is special for you, right? That means you'll have to come back and visit next winter!” Nanako excitedly told him.

Yosuke nudged him. “You heard her. No buying your own, okay? If you want to use a kotatsu, you've gotta come back and visit.”

“Of course not.” Yu promised.

They talked for a little while longer until Nanako grew tired. Yu put her to bed with a few extra blankets to help keep her warm.

On his way back to the Living room, the lights went out. “Huh? A blackout?” Yu heard Yosuke say.

“Hold on, I’ll get the emergency supplies.” Yu told him and went to the closet. He dug out a few candles for light. He went over to the kotatsu and placed them on it. Yosuke gave a sigh of relief. “That's better.” He looked over to Yu. “ C'mon, there's no power but the kotatsu's still warm. Better take advantage of it before all the heat escapes.”

Yu nodded and settled back down beside Yosuke. The cold wind rattled the house, but for now they were warm and comfortable. “I can’t believe the lights went out.” Yu admitted quietly.

“We lose power pretty easily out here, huh?” Yosuke agreed. “When you go back to the city it probably won't happen as much...”

Yosuke frowned. Yu turned to him. He had almost forgotten that Yosuke had wanted to speak to him about something. “What’s on your mind?”

Yosuke straightened, a little caught off guard. “Well, it's just... “ He sighed and relaxed. “I-I've been thinking about it....What would we do if the Midnight Channel came back? In a few weeks you won't be here anymore. What would we do then?” He asked. His expression concerned.

“I could come back.” Yu offered but Yosuke quickly shook his head.

“No we couldn’t ask you to do that. I mean, we wouldn’t want to worry you.”

Yu frowned. “I’d worry anyway.” He admitted. A sense of guilt twisted his stomach. Did he not trust them to handle it alone?

“Ha ha, I know.” Yosuke gave a soft smile, Yu wondering if Yosuke hadn’t taken his offer seriously or if he was just try to ease the moment. “That's the way you are. And I know if something happened you'd be on the first train back here, so I dunno why I'm even thinking about this. What can I say? You're dependable.”

Yu smiled. _I would. I would come back in a heartbeat if you asked me…_ The thought made Yu pause. _What am I saying? I have to go back and I probably wouldn’t be able to come back on a whim anyway._

He sighed as Yosuke continued to talk. “Anyway. I know we put an end to all that. I guess it got me thinking, y'know? Fighting, school, hanging out... Things are gonna be really WEIRD without you here.” Yosuke still kept his gaze away from Yu as he spoke.

“I know. It’ll be weird for me too.”

The two sat in silence. Yosuke watched the candle light. Yu couldn’t help but stare. Under the lowlight, his eyes glowed and his features were illuminated softly. The gentle image of him made Yu breathless. _He’s beautiful._ Yu imagined leaning into Yosuke, cupping his face in his hands and kissing him… _leaving him breathless_. The thought hit Yu with a rush of blood to his cheeks. _Crap._ He leaned back a little and cleared his throat. Yosuke turned to him, expecting him to say something. His curious gaze, sending a shock wave from his heart to the rest of his body. Yu spoke to him softly. “I-I’m glad you’re here.”

“Huh?” Yosuke tilted his head and then smiled. “Dude, c'mon, you're getting sappy.” He rolled his eyes and nudged Yu. “Don't make a big deal out of it...”

Yu sighed. _Right what was I thinking…_ Yu felt a little embarrassed by his brief moment of attraction.

The two of them talked a bit more before the heat from the kotatsu had finally dissipated.

* * *

The two of them went up to Yu’s room, the cold finally setting into the house. The window in his room was snow-covered and rattling lightly from the wind. Yu brought up extra blankets for Yosuke and helped make a make-shift bed beside his futon.

“ Brr, it's cold in here. But at least we're not outside.” Yosuke settled onto the blankets. Yu nodded and sit onto his futon. “While it's storming out is actually kinda comfortable, isn't it?”

Even with the blankets, Yosuke still seemed cold. Yu definitely felt it at least, he shivered. “You sure this is enough blankets?”

“Oh yeah it’s no big deal.” Yosuke brushed it off. “I'll roll myself up in them to keep the heat in.” He tried to smile. “Ted sneaks blankets from my bed all the time. I've learned how to live with less.”

The two of them laid down and started to chat. At some point Yu shifted onto his back to stare up at the ceiling. The chatter died and Yu wondered if Yosuke had fallen asleep. Yu frowned. _Will we be like this again… I…_

“...I wish you could stay.” Yu’s eyes opened at the sound of Yosuke’s voice. He hadn’t noticed that Yosuke was still awake.

Yu sighed softly, pulling the blankets tighter around himself as he turned away from Yu. “Me too.”

There was a pungent silence before Yosuke replied. “...Haha. Uh... nevermind. It's nothing.” There was a melancholic tone under Yosuke’s humorous attempt. Yu frowned and closed his eyes. “Man, I'm really tired... Goodnight. ...”

“Goodnight.” The words were too quiet for Yosuke to hear.

Yu felt his hesitation too. The idea of being separated from Yosuke made him uneasy and scared… _when did I start to feel this way?_ The question didn’t have an answer. But as much as he didn’t want to be away from him, Yu knew it had to be that way. He knew this going into Inaba. So why couldn’t he just be okay with it? Yu struggled to sleep, the sounds of the howling wind drowning out his own thoughts.

* * *

Yu opened his eyes to find himself, yet again, in The Velvet Room. It seemed as if it had happened a little more than it should. _What could this mean?_

“Do not be alarmed.” Igor snapped Yu out of his suspicious thinking. “I have summoned you here from within your dream.” Igor continued, busy arranging a spread of tarot cards on the table between them. Beside him, Margaret sat silently, flipping through the Persona Compendium. It seemed more suspicious now. “It's been a long time since you last made use of our services. Today is special, however... Fusions performed today might result in unusually powerful Personas. Please, take some time to consider it. I'm anxious to see what you can produce.”

Yu didn’t know what he meant by that. He didn’t any personas now… did he? Igor watched him expectantly. _If he’s bringing it up, it must be important._ Yu closed his eyes and allowed his mind to quiet down. Underneath the surface, he could the faint presences of all his personas. As he concentrated more, one Persona came to mind as if it were pulled up by some outside force. “Mada, the Magician...”

Igor grinned. “A splendid choice. One moment...” He waved a hand over the tarot cards. They began to glow rise into the air, twirling until a blinding light flashed and filled the room.

Yu blinked as the bright light faded away. Igor and Margaret had disappeared. But in Margaret’s place… “Whoa....” Yosuke stood in front of Yu, looking around confused. Yosuke turned to Yu. “Yu? What are you doing here?” Somehow Yu had summoned Yosuke instead of the persona he intended. It occurred to him that this was Igor’s doing, though the why behind was still unclear. “Uh... where the hell are we, anyway?”

Yu did his best to explain the Velvet room and it’s use. Though it was harder than expected. Yosuke nodded in a brief understanding. “Ohhh I see, so this is where you get all those Personas of yours, huh? That's pretty crazy... I guess I can see why you've never mentioned it before.” Yu gestured for Yosuke to sit down beside him. “I don't think I would have believed you even if you had. But then again, not much about you can surprise me anymore, man.” Yosuke winked and sat down. Much closer than Yu had expected.

 _Why is he so close?_ Yu wondered as he tried to come up with something to say. Something didn’t seem right, but he couldn’t put his finger on it. Before Yu could think anymore, Yosuke leans in towards him.

Yosuke placed a hand on his cheek and pulled him into a kiss. Doesn’t process it as he melts under Yosuke. It’s all over too quickly as Yosuke pulls away. Yu is breathless. _Wait what just happened…_ Yu met Yosuke’s gaze. Not quite sure what to do next. He had never said it outloud, but Yu always wanted to kiss Yosuke… _only Yosuke._ Yu’s cheeks felt too warm as Yosuke hovered a few inches from him. He leaned in to meet Yosuke for another kiss, but then he paused. _This is everything I ever wanted… but then why…_ Yu frowned and leaned back slightly. _Does it feel wrong..._

Yosuke glanced down. “...I knew it.” He sighed deeply. Yu watched him, suddenly feeling a little guilty. “You’re all talk.” When Yosuke looked back up to Yu, his eyes were a glowing yellow.

Yu jumped back. _A shadow!?_

The shadow laughed. “Surprised to see me? I couldn't stand to let you be the only asshole in the room. Share the spotlight a little, would you?”

Yu backed up the farthest he could until he was pressed against the door behind him.

The shadow grew angry. “Why are you pretending like this isn't what you want?” Yu stared confused and fearful. “People throwing themselves at you, telling you how great you are. Putting their hearts on the line for a scrap of your approval. It's disgusting...” The shadow’s tone shifted into a sickly grin. “but you love it, don't you?” Yu felt something shake in him. “You love being surrounded by people who want you, NEED you. If they love you enough, it means they'll wanna stay with you, right? And if they care about you enough, they'll feel the same pain as you when you can't be with them anymore...”

 _That isn’t …_ Yu couldn’t find the energy to argue.

Shadow Yosuke laughed and pointed to itself. “And this loser... he cares about you SO much. It's going to be SO hard on him when you're gone... But that's what you're counting on, isn't it? The thought of this miserable idiot left behind in Inaba...” The Shadow smirked at him. “I bet you get such a kick out of that.”

The Shadow shifted slightly. Yu reflexively attempted to summon his persona. But nothing. _I can’t…_ He tried again. Closing his eyes to try and sense them. _I can’t feel any of them… Why can’t I feel them..?_ He panicked. _I should be able to summon at least one!_

“Are you going to attack me now? Go ahead. Do it. Tell me I'm wrong...” Shadow Yosuke’s smile disappeared as he watched Yu struggle.

Yu couldn’t find the words to say anything. He was paralyzed. The room darkened with the Shadow’s aura and the room went cold around them. “You always show such a kind face to everyone. But I know better. I know everything about you...” The Shadow crawled over to him, one of Yosuke’s Kunai in one hand. “Oh, but don't worry. I won't tell anyone. It's between you and me.”

Yu’s heart raced. _Is it going to kill me? What can I…_

The Shadow leaned over him, blade pressed against his throat and lips near Yu’s ear. “I won't tell anyone.” Yu shivered as Shadow Yosuke stared him in the eyes. A cold expression on his face. “That deep down... What you really want is...”

* * *

Yu jolted awake, gasping and drenched in a cold sweat. His breath shook as his heart race. He immediately scanned the room. It was cold and dark. The storm still raged on outside and it seemed like the room was colder than it had been before. Everything seemed ok, except… Yu suddenly felt a hot breath slowly hitting his back. He did his best to look at his back. Yosuke laid curled up against him. _How did he get there?_ Yu adjusted the blanket, Yosuke tightened his grip on Yu’s shirt as he did so. Yu gave a small gasp in surprise as Yosuke nuzzled into his back. He felt himself blush as Yosuke’s breathing steadied into a noticeable rhythm.

 ** _If they love you enough, it means they’ll wanna stay with you, right?_**

The words of the Shadow spiked Yu’s heart rate again. He tightened his grip on his pillow and tried to keep himself from shaking. _That…_ Yu didn’t know how to argue that. He did his best to calm down and as he did so, he felt himself melt in Yosuke’s gasp. _It doesn’t matter what I want. I have to leave..._ Yu closed his eyes and drifted back to sleep as the storm outside raged on.


	17. February 27th: Snow Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yu and Friends enjoy a Snow Day.

Yu woke up to the sun shining through the curtains. The room felt warm. _The power must’ve come back on._ Yu moved to sit up, feeling a hand sliding of his back. He glanced back to Yosuke, slowing stirring awake. “Hnnn.” His eyes slowly fluttered open to meet Yu’s. It took only a moment, for him to realize where he was. He quickly moved back to his spot on the floor, blushing fiercely. “Uh M-Morning!” He glanced away from Yu. Yu found himself blushing too. “I-uh didn't sleep well at all!” Yosuke tried to brush it off. “ Ha ha...” Though it only made things more awkward.

Yu tried to avoid the awkwardness by glancing at his phone. Chie had texted him. “Oh hey. Chie sent me a message.” Yu told Yosuke. Yosuke glanced up with a more relaxed look of curiosity. “She says school's closed today after all.”

“Man, it must have been really bad all through the night.” Yosuke gave a sigh of relief and smiled. “Well, I'm not gonna complain! Snow day!”

A few minutes passed before Nanako entered the room with a soft knock. “Hey big bro! The snow's stopped! It's so fluffy! Let's go out and play!”

“Good idea.” Yu told her and got up from bed to stretch out.

Yosuke nodded. “Why don't we call the others and go out for a while? C'mon, it'll be fun!”

Yu and Yosuke called up their friends to go enjoy the day outside.

* * *

The group went out to the Samegawa flood plain to enjoy the snow.

“ I haven't done this since I was a kid! Me and Yukiko used to play in the courtyard of the Amagi Inn all the time.” Chie grinned.

Yukiko nodded. The two of them had started to make their own snowman. “We'd get in trouble because guests didn't like my snowmen very much...”

“Yeah, because they always turned out really scary somehow!” Chie told the group. Chie took a look at the snowman and gave a frustrated frown. “...Look, you're still doing it! The eyes on this one look like they're staring into my soul...! It's giving me chills!”

Naoto smiled as the group watched them. “Are you certain that's not simply the temperature...?”

The group laughed at her attempt at humor. Nanako took Yu’s hand to a section of the snow. “I’m gonna make a snowman too!”

Teddie followed close behind. “ I wanna help! But I've never made one before...”

Nanako smiled and let go of Yu’s hand. “Don’t worry! I'll teach you! First you start with a little bit of snow... Then you rollllll it up until it gets bigger!”

Teddie immediately scooped up some snow and rolled it together. He looked over to Nanako and Yu for advice. “Ohhh, like this?”

“Nah, it's gotta be bigger!” Kanji went over and went to demonstrate. “Roll until it's too heavy to push anymore. If you're gonna build something, build it to stand the test of time!”

Yosuke shook his head. “No that’s too big!”

The group eventually gathered together to make a few snowmen, each with varying levels of success. As they kept going, Yu felt a little tired. He hadn’t slept very well and he was definitely not used to the cold of Inaba. At some point he went over to the gazebo bench to rest a little while. Yosuke eventually wandered over to him, looking concerned.

“Hey, you okay? You seem a little down today.” Yosuke asked sofly. “You kept tossing and turning last night, too. Didn't sleep well?”

“You were awake?” Yu asked surprised.

“W-Well…” Yosuke blushed.”I-I guess I must have woken up some time during the night… D-dunno how I got in your futon though, ha ha…” Yosuke rubbed the back of his neck. “Anyway, don't change the subject!” Yosuke straightened, trying to refocus on the topic at hand. “ I'm serious, okay? If something's up, you can always say so. Let me know what's on your mind.”

Yu watched Yosuke. The soft concerned expression striking him. Yu sighed. He needed to tell him… but he didn’t know how. He took a deep breath and met Yosuke’s gaze. “Last night… I had a nightmare.” The words came out meek. Yu hated it. _What am I? A child? What did I say that for!_ Yu instantly regretted his choice of words. He fully expected Yosuke to make fun of him or mock him.

Instead… “A nightmare?” Yosuke frowned at him with sincerity. “What was it ab—” “—oof!” A snowball struck Yosuke in the head, interrupting the conversation. He stumbled.

“Sooooooorrrrrrrrryyyyy!” Teddie shouted.

Yosuke turned around, angry. “NOT AS SORRY AS YOU’RE GONNA BE!” He scooped up a handful of snow and took off after Teddie.

Yu sighed. _What was I saying? It was just a stupid nightmare._ Yu took another breath. _I’ll get over it._ Eventually Yu got back up and enjoyed some more time with his friends.

He didn’t have many more days left after all.


	18. February 29th

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yu and Yosuke have a study session.

Yu was walking to school when he overheard a conversation on the road. “My sister won't stop talking about that Junes mascot...” The boy began annoyed. “ If I have to hear about his ‘eyes that sparkle like the ocean’ one more time...”

 _Oh they’re talking about Teddie._ Yu thought. He had been getting pretty popular recently.

“Come on, admit it. You think he's handsome, too.” The girl nudged him.

“What about it?”

“I'm just saying he seems friendly enough. Why don't you try talking to him? If you're that lonely...”

“W-Who said I was lonely?!” The boy shouted.

The two of them quieted down to a soft chatter.

 _Lonely…_ The word floated in Yu’s mind, making him feel uncomfortable. He kept walking to school, the thought settling in the back of the mind.

* * *

The rest of the day remained rather bland and after classes Yu offered to help Yosuke study.

The two of them settled in the library.

While looking over his own notes, Yu glanced up to see Yosuke staring intensely at his book. Yu unconsciously smiled. Yosuke glanced over to meet Yu. He blushed. “H-hey, what are you looking at?”

Yu panicked and then looked over to Yosuke’s notes. Yosuke handed them over to him. “Oh here, I doubt anything I wrote down is gonna help you at all though...”

Yu glanced over them, trying to continue his lie at first, but then noticed that Yosuke had written down something he had missed. “Oh.” Yu went his notes and jotted it down.

“Huh? You didn’t catch that?” Yosuke smiled a bit surprised. “Guess you can't write down everything, huh?” Yosuke nudged him with a smug grin. “Glad I could help.”

The two of them smiled lightly as they continued their study session.


	19. March 1st

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yu and Teddie walk to school.

Yu was walking to school quietly. He was feeling oddly lonely today, but he tried to keep his head up as he walked.

“Morning, Sensei!” Yu turned around to see Teddie running towards him. “Are you going to school? I wish I could go with you. Working when Yosuke's at school is no fun. Junes gets lonely without someone to talk to!” Teddie grinned. “ ...Speaking of being lonely... Sensei, you've been spending a lot of time with Yosuke lately, haven't you?”

Yu blushed a little. Was he really going to bring that up? Teddie pouted. “ It's not fair... He's not the only one who'll miss you when you leave, you know!”

Yu frowned. _When you leave…_ Yu felt a cold pain in his heart. Teddie seemed to notice Yu’s distress.

“Oh I’m sorry, Sensei.” Teddie quickly apologized. “I didn't mean to make you sad! Sometimes I think about how lonely I used to be when I lived in the TV world. I guess I don't want to feel that way again... and I don't want you to feel that way either.”

Yu watched a pensive Teddie for a moment before Teddie snapped out of it. Teddie gave him a big grin. “Okay, it's decided! I'll walk you to school!” Teddie grabbed Yu by the arm and started walking off. “If I want Sensei to notice me, I need to be thoughtful and charming, right? So let's go~!”

Yu couldn’t fight his amused grin as they walked. He was going to miss the moments.


	20. March 2nd: The Argument/Midnight Channel Returns

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An argument at the library puts Yu's and Yosuke's Relationship at risk. The Midnight Channel returns.

After another boring day, Yu and Yosuke decided to have another study session.

“Man, studying this hard is such a pain!” Yosuke sighed and leaned back in his chair. “ I don't know how you manage to keep it up.” He looked over to Yu with a small smile. He straightened up. “But if it gets the results you want then I guess it must be worth it.” He pulled out a stack of books from his bag and laid them on the table.

Yu glanced over them. They were different study guides for college.

 _Wow he’s really doing as much as he can._ Yu smiled proudly.

Yosuke continued. “ I'll probably start going to cram school in April, but for now I bought these. There are tests and stuff in the back to help you with the material. If I do one, can you check it over for me?” He looked at Yu expectedly. Yu nodded and watched him as he worked. Yosuke went into a deep concentration when he tested.

After some time, Yosuke placed his pencil down. “All done! Man, I've been reading this thing for days but that was still tough.”

Yosuke slid the book over to Yu. As he started to grade, Yu began to feel a little disappointed. Yu finished and then turned to Yosuke. “You got a little more than half right.”

Immediately Yosuke glanced over to the grade, his eyes wide in panic. “Wh-What? That can't be right... Let me see...” Yosuke snatched the book away and checked over it again.

“I’m sorry Yosuke.”

Yosuke winced and replied with a frustrated tone. “Dammit... It was that bad?” He placed the book on the desk and closed the book. “Why... “ Yosuke glanced down. “Why is this so hard?! I just want to go to school with you.” His tone softened into despair. “Is it impossible...?”

 _No…it’s not._ “Yosuke, there's still time." Yu spoke quietly, trying to ease his pain. 

“No. There isn't.” Yosuke replied. “Even if I start cram school now, I could study for years and never catch up to you.” Yosuke struggled to keep his voice down. “You don't struggle like this. It's hopeless...!”

_Yosuke…_

“I knew it...” Yosuke glanced up to Yu. Yu felt a cold shock hit him. “I'm going to be stuck here forever while you're off in the city, aren't I? I can see what I want so badly, but I just can't get there...”

Yu placed a gentle hand on Yosuke’s arm. “Yosuke this doesn’t define you.”

Yosuke quickly shook him off. “Knock it off! I don't want you pitying me!” Yosuke snapped at him. “None of this affects you, so don't try to tell me you know how I feel. You're leaving one way or another, right? What's it matter to you if I get left behind?!” He raised his voice, the strain of frustration cracking through his voice. “Even with everything that happened this year, everything we've been through... you're still leaving! You'll move on. You'll make a new life, find new friends... Everyone does, right?! That's how it works, and there's nothing I can do about it!” Yosuke glared back at him, pained.

“This isn’t my fault!” Yu shouted back, the desperation in his own voice, striking a chord in him.

“Yeah... actually it is! You're the one who's leaving, aren't you? I try and try to keep up with you, but I can't do it! I'm not good enough! And why do I have to follow YOU, anyway? Did you even ask your parents if you could stay here? Did you think for even a second about what it'd do to the rest of us when you left?!”

Yosuke’s hands trembled in anger as he shoved his books into his bag. Yu suddenly moved to stop Yosuke. _No No Don’t leave! Please don’t leave!_ “Wait Yosuke.” Yu grabbed onto the book from before at the same time as Yosuke. Yu glanced at Yosuke again, pleading and hoping for him to stop.

“I can't believe... I can't believe I let you fool me into thinking I had even the SLIGHTEST chance of chasing after you. I'm such an idiot!” Yosuke let go of the book and stormed out of the library.

“Wait Yosuke!” Yu called out to him again and shoved the book and his notes into his bag. As he grabbed his packed bag, he heard a few student nearby talking.

“Wow, what's gotten into him?” One of the students in the library spoke to her friend. “Looks like the Prince of Junes isn't used to not getting his way.”

“What a pain.” Her friend began bitterly. “There's no need to cause a scene like that. I didn't realize he was so self-centered...”

Yu glanced over to them. _They don’t know what it’s like…_ Yu turned over to them and shouted. “Leave him alone! He’s trying his best!”

Without listening for them to respond, he walked out of the library calling Yosuke’s name.

“Yos-“ Yu went quiet when he notice Yosuke waiting in the hallway. Yu watched him pained, a guilt stricken expression along the lines of Yosuke’s face.

“You... you stood up for me even after I just chewed you out?” He went quiet for a moment and Yu nodded. “ Of course you did...”

Yu reached out for him again. “Yosuke I-“

“-I’m sorry.” Yosuke cut Yu off and glanced away from him. He crossed his arms, tense and vulnerable. “I shouldn't have lost my temper. I don't know what to do anymore... “ Yosuke’s voice cracked and he went quiet, barely above a whisper. “Maybe I deserve to be left behind...”

“Yosuke…” Yu called his name again. _Don’t say that… Please Yosuke…_

“Yu…” Yu watched him patiently. “Can we talk more some other time? I want to be alone for a while.”

Yu’s heart drop into his stomach. “I-“ He cleared his throat. “Alright.” Yu turned away from Yosuke. “Please get home safe.” Yu had hoped to hear something back from Yosuke, but there was only a devastating silence.

His walk home was stressful. He couldn’t think straight. The sorrow in Yosuke’s face, the desperation in his voice… Yu shivered. He wanted to stay, but it wasn’t an option. _It’s never been an option._

* * *

Yu tried to take his mind off of the earlier incident with Yosuke by studying for his upcoming exams. A light snow fell outside his window, helping to ease his own frustrations.

After a few long hours, Yu decided to call it a night. He glanced up at the clock as he placed his things away. _It’s almost midnight._ He looked over to the TV, not expecting anything at first… but…

At the sound of the clock striking twelve, the TV flickered on. _Someone’ s on the Midnight Channel!_ Yu walked over to the TV as a figure appeared. The image was staticky and distorted, but it was enough to get a general idea of who they were looking at. It looked like a young boy, maybe a little older than Nanako. It was difficult to tell much about him, but Yu felt something strangely familiar about the boy. _Who is this?_

His cellphone rang and Yu pulled it out. _It’s Yosuke._ He answered.

“Y-you saw that... didn't you?” Yosuke asked, shaken.

“Yeah. We need to discuss it.” Yu told him.

“Yeah. Good idea. Namatame's not throwing people into the TV anymore, and Adachi-san's with the police. But still... We should meet up with everyone after school tomorrow and see what they think. Just to be safe. Try and get some sleep. I'll see you in class.” Yosuke hung up quicker than Yu could respond.

Yu frowned. _Another person on the Midnight Channel. I thought that we…_ He felt a cold shiver, his confidence shaken. There was nothing else he could do though. He settled into bed, hoping to get answers tomorrow.


	21. March 3rd/4th: The Investigation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yu and the Investigation team discuss the reappearance of the Midnight Channel.

The following day, Yu met with everyone at Junes to discuss the Midnight Channel from the following night. He was still confused and shocked about what they had seen, but Yu knew he and his team could work to get answers.

“So you guys saw it too, right?!” Chie asked.

The group nodded. “Mm-hmm. I was studying late and happened to see it when it came on. It was pretty shocking...” Yukiko spoke.

“I didn't see anything... Yosuke didn't wake me up until it was over! I wanted to see the Midnight Channel too!” Teddie chimed in disappointed.

“Maybe it's just a one-off thing?” Kanji suggested.

Yu shook his head. “No… it’s not…” Yu remembered the night after the Basketball game. The yellow light of the room, the sound of static… “Back when I got sick…” Yu paused as he confirmed his suspicion. “I think I saw the Midnight Channel.” Yosuke turned to him a little surprised.

“Huh? Well if it was when you were sick, it must have seemed like a weird dream to you…”

Naoto sighed, drawing attention to her. “The case may be closed, but it can't hurt to be careful. It may be nothing but figuring out why we saw it could be helpful if something does happen. It may even help us understand what the Midnight Channel is, exactly...”

“Agreed. Let’s go over what we know.”Yu nodded.

Naoto began the discussion. “The person who appeared on the Midnight Channel appeared to be a young child.”

“I couldn't help but think about Nanako-chan...” Yukiko admitted worriedly. No doubt thinking about the events in December.

Rise nodded. “Me too. But it looked like a boy, to me.”

”He looked a bit older than Nanako-chan, too...” Yu pointed out. The difference only made Yu more concerned. 

“So there's a boy younger than us and older than Nanako-chan on the Midnight Channel. Can anyone think of a kid that's been on TV recently?” Chie asked.

“Nanako-chan wasn't on TV before she was kidnapped though, remember? It could've been the newspaper, internet, radio... There's no way to know for sure.” Kanji sighed.

Everyone sat in thought quietly shaking their heads. Yu glanced over to Yosuke who seemed to be in deep thought about something.

“Hmm? Yosuke-kun, is everything all right?” Yukiko asked him.

“I dunno...” Yosuke spoke hesitantly. “Maybe I'm getting worked up over nothing, but... I got a really weird feeling when I saw that kid last night... I thought it looked like Teddie.”

“Huh?! Me?!” Teddie glanced startled at Yosuke.

Rise tilted her head, surprised. “Whoa, now that you mention it... could it have been Teddie? He fits the description...”

Yosuke spoke again. “I'm not saying for sure it was him. The image was too distorted to tell for real. But, well... he WAS on TV recently, and people in town have been talking about him more because of it...”

“He does have a point on that… still.” Yu didn’t feel entirely convinced of the theory, but it did make sense. Teddie had definitely been the fixture of gossip in the town.

“Wow... To think I'd end up on the Midnight Channel too... Popularity comes with a heavy burden...” 

Naoto remained unconvinced. “Let's not jump to conclusions. I think our first course of action should be to ask around town. If people think they saw Teddie or some other boy, they might be able to tell us something.”

The group agreed to find out more information and split up. They would meet again the following afternoon to figure it out.

Yu immediately went around to discuss things with people that he knew around town. Everyone talked about Teddie to varying degrees. Still he got no solid information to connect Teddie to the Midnight Channel.

Tired, he went home and tried to study a little... He didn’t get very far.

* * *

Yu got up early the following morning to ask around. This time he was luckier. He ran into a woman at the park by the river. She greeted him with a smile and was willing to talk to him about what she knew.

“You watch the Midnight Channel?” Yu asked. She nodded with a smile. “What have you seen on it?”

“Well lately there's been a young boy being shown on it. I've only seen one other child on it before. It was a girl that time…” She paused in thought. “The picture isn't very clear and he doesn't do much, but when he does move, he seems to be wiping his eyes. I guess he's crying?”

The words strike something in Yu. _He’s crying…_ The thought lingers in his mind. _I didn’t think about it, but I think she might be right._

“Poor thing. Maybe he's lost? He seems like he must be lonely...” She continued, her tone trailing off in concern.

Yu continued. “What rumors have you heard recently?”

“What have I heard? People haven't been talking much about any children... If a child was lost or something like that, people in a town this small would be talking about it all the time. Maybe it's something no one knows about yet... That would be spooky! A TV channel that predicts terrible things will happen.” 

The comment made Yu almost flinch. _If only you knew._

“Anyway, don't just take my word for it. Wouldn't the police know if a child has been reported missing?”

Yu nodded. She was right. Maybe Yu could find more answers if he looked for information on missing children. He remembered seeing a police along the road towards Junes. _I can probably still talk to him if I go now._

“You're living apart from your family right now, correct?” The Friendly woman spoke. He hadn’t noticed how closely she was watching him. He nodded. “You probably understand what it feels like to be lost and afraid.” Yu watched her stunned. “I wonder if the boy is lost… maybe you could help him…” She suddenly waved her hand. “Oh sorry! There I go rambling again. I should get going.” The Friendly woman gave him a polite goodbye and walked away.

He stayed there for a moment. Lingering on what she had said. He _did_ know how it felt… He sighed and hurried to talk to the police he had seen earlier.

There were no missing children, the police told him. Yu didn’t know whether to be concerned or relieved. He hoped it was the latter.

Yu returned to Junes to meet up everyone.

When Yu arrived, Rise, Kanji, and Yukiko were missing. “Sorry we didn't wait for you, Senpai. Given the situation, Rise-san said she wished to check the other side of the TV to make sure no one is currently trapped inside. Kanji-kun and Yukiko-senpai offered to go with her to keep her safe.” Naoto explained.

Teddie sighed. “I wanted to go too... Rise-chan's Persona is stronger than my nose, though...”

“They should be back pretty soon.” Yosuke said. “So what did we find out? By the looks on everyone's faces... I'm assuming we didn't do very well.”

Chie frowned. “We're a little out of practice with this detective stuff, that's all. How about you, leader? Did you come up with anything useful?”

Yu relayed the information of the boy on the Midnight Channel.

Chie tilted her head. “A lost boy? I didn't hear anything about that...”

“From what Yu-senpai is telling us, neither did the police. I'm afraid without evidence, the rumor is based solely on conjecture. We can't rely on it.” Naoto frowned, puzzled.

“So we spent our whole weekend on this for nothing...?!” Teddie huffed in frustration.

“It's true we didn't get much from the townspeople, but we never expected to. Let's not forget why we took this approach.” Naoto paused, her puzzled expression clearing up. “Why did Yu-senpai's source say the boy looked ‘lost’?”

“Wasn't it because he was crying...?” Yosuke asked.

Naoto nodded with a very faint grin on her face. “Precisely. There was no audio, so we can't confirm that's really what was happening. But when you mentioned that part, it does seem to me like that was the case...”

Yu felt a thought click and replied rather quiet. “Maybe the reason the police haven’t heard anything is because this kid isn’t really lost, but just sad? Or lonely…?” Somehow Yu felt this was on the right track.

“If the police don't know anything about it, then that means it's not public knowledge. Whatever's going on with this boy, it'll be something subtle. We'll have to keep a sharp eye out.” Chie continued off of Yu’s suggestion.

“Couldn't it still be Teddie?” Naoto brought up the topic.

 _It could still be true… he fits the pattern… but._ For some reason Yu could agree with it, not fully.

“Yeah. Yu, you said people are still talking about him, right?” Yosuke turned to him. He confirmed it with a nod. “Then we can't rule him out. Argh, but Ted doesn't seem sad at all, does he? I don't get it...” Yosuke frowned.

Teddie pouted. “Hey, I have feelings, you know! I was sad when I thought I didn't have a place here with you guys,” Teddie’s expression softened. “…and I'm sad that Sensei's leaving...”

Chie frowned too. “We all are, Teddie.” She paused a little surprised. “Are you saying you're sad enough to end up on the Midnight Channel...?”

Teddie’s soft expression changed to something more dramatic. “Maybe I am My sorrow is endless! You could never understand!”

Yosuke rolled his eyes. “Ugh... Melodrama aside, we can't get around the fact that people are talking about him. Or that he kinda resembled the kid seen on TV.” His tone shifted to be more serious. “So I'll have to keep an eye on him just in case.”

“Agreed.” Yu told them. Even though he still didn’t believe it to be tied to Teddie, he couldn’t deny that Teddie fit perfectly in the pattern. _It could still be him. We don’t want to let our guard down._

Not a moment later, the other three of the group made their way towards them. “Hey, look, here come the others.” Yosuke waved at the group.

“Welcome back. How was the other side?” Naoto asked them. The trio seemed to be feeling uncertain.

Rise replied. “Completely deserted. There doesn't seem to be any unusual shadow activity either. Whoever it really was on TV, they must still be safe.”

The idea was a relief, though it also meant that he and the other person on the Midnight Channel could still be in danger.

Yu filled the others in on what they had discussed.

“So people really did seem to think it could be Teddie? That's scary...” Yukiko turned over to Teddie. “Sorry you have to go through that, Teddie.”

Teddie grinned. “Don't worry about me! I can take it!” He seemed a little too confident, for Yu’s taste. “Besides, everyone's safe now that we caught Adachi-baby. So no need to fear!”

Yosuke nodded with a newfound enthusiasm. “He's right. As long as no one else starts throwing people into the TV, it doesn't really matter.” He continued a little more relaxed. “People can talk about whoever or whatever they want. I don't like that it's putting people on the Midnight Channel again, but what can we do about that?”

“You're likely right.” Naoto turned to address the leader of the group. “But I suggest we remain proactive and cautious. We should continue to monitor the Midnight Channel and be prepared to take action at a moment's notice.”

Yu nodded. “Agreed. In the meantime, let’s pay special attention to Teddie’s safety.”

He wasn’t sure if it was the right move to make, but his time in Inaba was coming to a close and Yu didn’t want to worry about the safety of even one his friends.

Chie sighed. “I don't mean to be a downer, but... We spent all that time investigating and didn't get to study for exams.”

“Hmm? What do you mean? Haven't you been studying all along?” Yukiko glanced over surprised. 

Chie shook her head and leaned back in her chair, sinking into it. “I-I always mean to, but then I leave it until the last minute...” She groaned. “Only in this case, I spent the last-minute running around town instead.”

“Well, no point in worrying about it.” Kanji answered, unphased. “Our sacrifice was for a noble cause.” Rise and Yosuke nodded in agreement.

“Let's not concede defeat yet.” Naoto hefted a heavy-looking bag and drops it on the table. It's full of books. “...I assumed the investigation would take up most of the weekend. I came prepared. Shall we have a study session?”

“Are you kidding me...?” Yosuke asked in disbelief, worn and tired.

“Great idea Naoto." Yu smiled, trying to encourage the team. "Let’s do it.” The team reluctantly followed his lead and they spent the rest of the time they had studying.


	22. March 9th: The Apology

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yosuke gives Yu an apology.

Final exams had been brutal on Yu. The added awkwardness around Yosuke and the reappearance of the Midnight Channel didn’t help matters any. As the school day came to a close, Yu started to pack up, expecting Yosuke to leave before him like he had begun to do since their argument in the library. Instead…

“Hey Yu.” Yu glanced over to see Yosuke nervously standing there. 

“Oh uh Yosuke.” It was all Yu could muster. 

“Can we go somewhere? There’s something I have to tell you.” The brunette asked. Yu nodded a nervous feeling tightened in his gut.

Together they walked in silence from the school over to the Samegawa flood plain. Occasionally Yu glanced over to Yosuke, trying to determine what Yosuke would say… and what Yu would respond. Yosuke’s gaze remained downward though when Yu looked away, he could swear that he felt Yosuke look back at him. 

The two of them settled down at a bench. Yosuke maintained a bit of distance that worried Yu even more. Yu’s nervousness grew as Yosuke continued to avoid his gaze.

“Guess there aren't too many days left that we'll be coming here after school, huh?” Yosuke’s voice was weaker than it should’ve been. Yosuke glanced over to Yu, a poor attempt at smile on his lips. “Sure you don't want to punch me in the face? For old times' sake?” He tried to laugh, as if to ease the tension between them.

Yu frowned. He couldn’t stand to see Yosuke like this. Though he knew that he didn’t have anything to say.

Finally Yosuke released a tense sigh as spoke. “Um... Look, we really gotta talk about what happened the other day. I wanted to apologize to you…” He glanced down to avoid Yu’s stare. His earlier nervousness shifted to a sympathetic pain. “I was really frustrated and... said some things I shouldn't have. You were only trying to help me. I was the one who got carried away with all this going away to college stuff. I really felt like an ass... It wasn't your fault at all....”

Yosuke glanced back up to Yu, waiting for him to speak. _Yosuke really seems to be beating himself up over it... It really should be me apologizing._ Yu felt a tinge of guilt. "I accept your apology." 

The phrase seemed to be enough. Yosuke’s whole demeanor eased and he leaned back. “Thanks.” Yosuke gave a sigh of relief and then leaned back. “Ugh, but you know what really sucks? It's that the more I think about it, the more I realize I said a lot of things I actually DID mean, too… As stupid as it sounds, I think I'm... MAD at you for leaving. Isn't that ridiculous?” Yosuke laughed a little bitterly as if he was downplaying his own feelings.

“No of course not.” Yu told him. Yosuke ran a hand over the back of his neck as he continued his earnest speech.

“And it's not just you, either. I'm mad at your parents for taking you away... I'm mad at everyone you'll meet in the city... New friends... girlfriends...” The word snapped Yu into focus. Yosuke went on. “People you haven't even met yet. Who might not even exist! It makes no sense. I don't understand why...”

“You’re jealous!?” Yu blurted out and then immediately regretted it, his cheeks turning red.

Yosuke widened his eyes, surprised. It was as if he never considered the possibility. Yu fully expected Yosuke to shut down the idea or change topics, but instead… “Jealous?” Yosuke’s surprise shifted in an introspective thought, his voice going into a soft whisper. “… Maybe you’re right.”

The words made Yu’s head spin. His heart jumped a little. _Yosuke’s jealous?_ Yu would never had admitted it, but he actually _liked_ to hear Yosuke say it.

“When you came here, you left everything behind in the city. You barely even knew Dojima and Nanako. I guess it felt like we were all you had in the world. That we were special to you somehow…” Yosuke’s voice grew louder. “Now I'm going to have to share you with people I don't even know...People who haven't been through half the stuff we've seen together...That just doesn't feel right...” Yosuke admitted sheepishly.

Yu wondered if this meant that… _Does_ _Yosuke feel the same…?_ Yu dismissed the thought. Yosuke couldn’t feel the same way. They were just friends after all. Yosuke had made this clear in the past… the only thing that had changed was… Yu refocused on Yosuke who was still talked to him.

“It's not like I don't want you hanging out with other people or anything stupid like that... You have tons of other friends besides us, right? So it can't be that.,, I dunno, it's more like... When you meet new people, I'm afraid you're going to realize what a waste of space I am. Like when you have something to compare me to, I'm not going to hold up... Then the calls will get shorter and less frequent...” Yosuke tensed, his voice almost a squeak.“...And then you'll just be gone.”

“Hey.” Yu nudged him, trying to lighten his mood. “That’s not going to happen.” 

Yu smiled and watched the gentle flicker in Yosuke’s eyes. “Yeah...I know. I'm really not giving you a fair chance here, huh? Still, that's how I feel.. Ha... I guess this is what it means to really get attached to someone, huh? Instead of just... coasting along, being too cool for real friendships. Man... I wish someone had told me how embarrassing it is.”

It only took a minute before Yosuke cleared his throat to speak. “W-Well, I think I've embarrassed myself enough for one day. I'm gonna go home and study a bit more. Honestly, I'm not sure what good it's going to do... I think I really am bitter that I feel like I have to follow you, but... I have to try. I have to do SOMETHING...” Yosuke stood up with a newfound determination in his eyes. “Okay. See you tomorrow… and... thanks.” Yosuke gave Yu one last gentle grin before they parted ways.

Yu went home with a feeling of satisfaction. His brain strictly focused on what Yosuke had said about being jealous.


	23. March 13th

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yu has an awkward family dinner.

Yu returned home from an uneventful day. Yosuke had been busy working at Junes, so Yu arrived home earlier than expected. Surprisingly Dojima had arrived around the same time. After preparing dinner Yu settled to eat with his family.

The air was a little awkward. Dojima seemed to be in deep thought for a good portion of the meal, though Yu didn’t quite understand why.

“So Yu…” Dojima asked cautiously. Yu perked up. “You've been hanging out with that Hanamura kid a lot, huh?”

“Oh uh…” Yu’s cheeks grew red immediately. 

“Yeah!” Nanako shouted with a bright smile. “He's funny, AND he works at Junes. I like him!” Nanako told him.

Dojima’s raised an eyebrow critically. Yu felt himself grow even redder, unsure of what to say. _Shit why is he looking at me like that?_ Yu expected Dojima to try and press for more information or even to scold him over it… Yu hadn’t been in this type of situation. Instead Dojima he leaned back with an awkward expression. “Well, uh Look I’m not going to stop you or anything.” Dojima tried to assure Yu. “… Just be careful, okay?”

Yu nodded, quickly finishing his dinner to try and bury his internal embarrassment by retreating in his room. 


	24. March 14th: White Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yu gets a gift for White Day.

Yu only had a week left Inaba, now that school was out he moved to packing up his things. As he packed, his phone rang. Yu paused and picked it up. “Hello?”

“Yo, it's me. A-Are you free today?” Yosuke’s voice trembled a bit. “Wanna hang out for a while?”

“Sure, let me finish up what I’m doing.” Yu answered.

“O-Oh, really?” Yosuke’s voice steadied once his tone lightened. “Okay. Awesome. Wanna meet up by the river? I'll see you there.”

Yu went over to the riverbed. As he approached Yosuke, Yu could see the brunette standing fidgety with a box in hand. It suddenly dawned on Yu what day it was. His heart leapt into his throat as he started to walk a bit quicker. _Is that a White Day gift?!_ “Yosuke!” Yu called out to him, waving at him. Yosuke glanced up to Yu, like a deer in the headlights. _Crap did I sound too excited_ _?_ Yu dropped his hand and took a deep breath to regain his composure as he walked up to Yosuke.

“H-hey, Yu.” Yosuke smiled nervously. “Uh, this is gonna seem weird, but... T-take this!” Yosuke glanced down as he shoved the white box towards Yu. 

Yu stared at a moment as Yosuke's hands trembled. “A White Day gift?” It was a little stupid for Yu to bring up still he wanted Yosuke to say it. He wanted Yosuke to help fuel Yu’s dumb infatuation with him. Yu grabbed onto the box. Yosuke straightened and looked away from Yu, blushing fiercely. _He's kinda cute flustered_ _._

“Yes... well…Ted kinda found out you gave me chocolates on Valentine's Day... And once he realized you're supposed to give something back to the person who gives you chocolates, he would NOT shut up about it. S-so... yeah...” Yosuke’s voice trailed off weakily. Yu gave a quiet smile and opened the box.

Inside of the box was a white USB drive. Yu pulled it out, unsure of what to make of it.

“It's got music on it.” Yosuke clarified to Yu. “ Blame Teddie for that one, too. He insisted on a ‘gift from the heart’. Sorry. Kinda weird, huh?” Yosuke looked to Yu, as if he expected him to downplay the significance of the gift.

"No it's perfect." Yu smiled and held the USB to his chest, never wanting to let it go.

If Yu thought Yosuke was cute before, Yosuke was now flat-out adorable. “Y-you don't have to say that!" Yosuke eased into a sincere smile. "But I'm glad you like it.” Yu felt very warm and fuzzy. 

“It's a long train ride back to the city.” Yosuke explained. “I figured you could use something to listen to on the trip, right? Make sure to tell me if you like any of the songs, okay? I've got lots more where those came from.”

"Of course." 

Yosuke leaned back. “Y'know, looking back at when we first met... I never would've thought we would've become such good friends, but... I'm glad we did. For the first time in a while I'm really hopeful about the future, you know?” Yosuke looked at him. Yu watched him carefully. “And it's because of you.”

“So, wanna come over to my place for a while?” Yosuke blushed again a little embarrassed. “W-we can listen to some of that music together, if you want...”

“Sure let’s go!”

Yu followed Yosuke home, talking about various things. As they laid down and listened to music on Yosuke's bed, Yu couldn’t help but imagine reaching out to caress Yosuke. Yearning to run his hands through his brown hair and press kisses along his skin. _I can't believe I have it this bad..._ Needless to say he found himself struggling to stay calm the entire time. 

Yu returned home, grinning and humming the remnants of songs that he had listened to with Yosuke.

“Welcome home, big bro! It's White Day!” Nanako greeted him. He smiled.

“It is.” Yu replied.

“Did you have a date today?” Yu showed her the flashdrive.

Nanako’s eyes lit up as she giggled. “You did! You gave someone the chocolates we made and they liked them! That makes me really happy!” 

As Yu made dinner, Nanako pressed him for details. The two of them talked through dinner and eventually Yu placed a pleased Nanako to bed.


	25. March 15th: Flowers and Stars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yu and Friends go to watch the Cherry Blossoms over a picnic. Yu and Yosuke stargaze together.

School was over. Yu knew that. Within a week he would be back to living with his parents. He knew that too. With so little time left, he had to prepare himself. He knew this was coming. Yu set his alarm to earlier than he would usually get up. He needed to get his packing down earlier so he wouldn’t leave anything behind.

A soft knock on the door interrupted his concentration. “Hey, it's me.” Dojima opened the door slightly. “I'm just on my way to work. Breakfast is ready downstairs if you want it. By the way, Nanako had a great idea. Since the cherry blossoms are starting to bloom, why don't we have a flower viewing party today? It's still a little early, but this might be our only chance before you go home. If you and Nanako can pack a lunch for us, I'll meet you guys somewhere and we can have a picnic together. What do you say?”

Yu nodded with a smile. “I’d like that.”

“Okay then. I left some money with Nanako. Get whatever supplies you need, and let me know where you want to meet. Oh, and feel free to invite your friends if you want. I'll see you later.” Dojima left for work.

Yu finished up the section of things he was packing and went down stairs, Nanako greeting him with a smile. Together they started to plan for lunch.

* * *

A few hours later, Yu and Nanako invited his friends to meet at the river. Yu had rarely been to flower viewings before. The cities were usually packed and Yu tried to avoid crowds when he could. Besides he hardly had anyone to go with. Yu laid down by the rest of his friends to enjoy the view.

Teddie was especially enamored by the flowers. “The trees are so beautiful! I've never seen anything like it...” Teddie grinned from ear to ear as he reached up towards the flowers.. “I wanna stay here forever!”

“Sorry, Teddie, the flowers don't last very long.” Chie explained, a little bummed herself. “The trees will just have regular old leaves soon.”

“I think there's probably a lesson in there somewhere…” Yosuke began. “ You know, about appreciating things while you have them.” Yu glanced over to Yosuke and Yosuke froze up. “But, uh…” He sat up and awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. “That sounds like something they'd make us write a paper about in school, so let's not think about it.” He glanced away from Yu embarrassed.

Teddie sat up too. “Wow... how poetic!” He gave out a dramatic sigh. “ But sharing a lunch with everyone under such fleeting beauty... I'll remember this forever...” He gazed outward, with a faraway look in his eyes. Yu felt a little guilty.

 _I wish I didn’t have to...._ Yu quickly pushed the thought down. _I have to though._

“Well, since this could technically be considered a goodbye party...” Dojima began, everyone sitting up as he spoke. Yu watched as he frowned in thought for a moment. He turned to him. “I really can't put into words how much you've helped me and Nanako this year. When my sister asked if you could stay with us, I had no idea our lives would end up taking such a big turn.” Dojima smiled. “Thanks for everything, but especially for being such a good big brother to Nanako.”

Yu felt a little embarrassed by Dojima’s praise, but he was touched by the gesture. It was nice to be a part of something.

“Ooh, me next!” Rise excitedly drew everyone’s attention as she sat a little taller. “Senpai never treated me any differently because I was Risette. He sees people the way they really are. That's the kind of caring guy he is! Thank you for everything, Senpai!”

Naoto went next, giving him a soft smile. “I concur. His patience and reliability make him a wonderful friend. Someone you can trust with anything....We'll miss you terribly.”

“Oh, I wanna do it too!” Teddie bounded excitedly as he chimed in. “Sensei's so kind and handsome and brave... He stole my heart... I want to be with him forever!” Teddie moved to hug onto Yu.

Yosuke pulled him back a bit frustrated. “Not gonna happen, fuzz brain.”

“Anyway...” Chie turned to Yu. “Thanks to Yu-kun, I know what's important to me, and what I need to do to protect it. I'm gonna miss having a training partner though...”

“Yes, our group won't be the same without him.” Yukiko nodded. “He always finds a way to make me laugh when I need it most. That's an important trait for a good friend to have.”

“Senpai showed me what being a man's really all about.” Kanji grinned. “Make sure to send me your new address, okay? I'll send you lots of crafts to cheer you up!”

Yu nodded. He couldn’t believe that he had made so many amazing friends here. He was sure going to miss them.

“Yu is…”The last one to speak was Yosuke, who seemed to struggling to find the words to say. Yu watched him eagerly. “…a really great friend. I'm lucky to have met him.” The words hurt him a little more than they should have.

 _What was I expecting… we’re just friends after all._ Yu gave an internal sigh and tried to keep a smile on his face.

“Big bro always looks after me...” Nanako began with a bright smile. “He's the best big bro in the whole world!” She shouted and then looked to her father expectantly. “ ...Am I doing it right?”

Dojima nodded. “Ha ha, you did just fine.”

The group continued to reminisce as they began to eat their lunches. As Yu began eating his, he felt a stare over his shoulder. Yosuke was staring at him. “Your bento looks amazing, partner.” He leaned a little. “You mind if I steal a bite?”

Yu stared agape for a moment and then offered it to him. Yosuke snagged a bit and then his face lit up with a smile. Yu would cook for Yosuke everyday if he asked.

“Yosuke-senpai!” Rise interrupted their moment. “Don't you think that's a little rude? We all worked hard to make our own lunches.” Rise pouted.

Yosuke turned to her a bit surprised, shifting away from Yu’s space. “Oh... yeah, I guess you're right.” He sounded a bit meek. “Sorry, I should just eat my own.”

Rise wasn’t satisfied. “No, not that! I mean ours should be good enough for you to eat from too!”

“Seriously?!” Yosuke grimaced suddenly remembering the various failed cooking attempts from the past. “Are you trying to kill me or something?”

“Would you knock it off with that!” Chie snapped. “So what if our food is a little... "unconventional"... I bet yours isn't any better!”

“I bet you it is!” Yosuke told her. Yu glanced down at the bento. It didn’t look bad, but it didn’t look good anyway. _Can anyone in this group cook?_

The conversation quickly turned into bickering over the quality of everyone’s cooking. Yu ate his a little faster while everyone dared each other to eat the others food.

Yu eventually moved a little away from the group just to watch. After a while, Teddie went to sit next to him.

“This is fun, isn't it? I'm really glad I got to see this with you before you left, Sensei.” Teddie greeting him with a beaming smile. The smile is fleeting and shifted into a worried expression. “One thing is bothering me though... We never did find out who was on the Midnight Channel, did we?” Yu shook his head. “I hope it wasn't me... You don't have much time left, after all. I wouldn't want to have worried everyone over nothing…” Teddie’s tone trailed off.

Yu tried his best to smile and nudged him. “Hey let’s not think about it right now. Let’s just enjoy the moment.”

“You're right, Sensei. I just wish we knew...” Teddie shook his head and smiled again. Ahh, forget I said anything! Sensei~, let's look at the flowers some more, okay? Hee hee... my heart is blossoming too...” Teddie blushed.

Teddie pulled Yu over to the rest of the group where they continued to chat and laugh some more.

The rest of the day was spent enjoying what time he had left. On their way home, Nanako couldn’t stop talking about how much fun she had and how she wanted to go again. Yu simply smiled. He knew he couldn’t promise anything. 

* * *

Yu couldn’t sleep when he returned home. He knew that he had told Teddie not to worry, but that didn’t apply to him. The stress of not knowing about the Midnight Channel and knowing his own waning time left, left him feeling confused and strained. To avoid the thoughts he went back to packing up his things. He made it quite a long way before he called it a night. As he was about to settled into bed his phone buzzed. 

Yosuke had sent a text:

**_r u awake? Im outside_ **

**_cmon i c ur lite on dude._ **

Yu got up and went to the window and opened it. Yosuke stood below.

“Sorry, I know it's late.” Yosuke began. “I didn't wanna ring the bell and wake everyone up. Can you come out here for a while? I wanted to talk to you...”

The moon shone down on Yosuke, outlining his features just enough. Yu’s heart raced as he just took in Yosuke’s form. It was almost embarrassing how in awe he was. He had never been a romantic, but right now he wasn’t about to let this moment go. “Sure I’ll be right there.”

“Okay! Then I'll meet you at the door.” Yosuke told him.

Yu had a different plan though. After grabbing a quick jacket, he started to climb out onto the roof.

“Wait, what are you doing?!” Yosuke nearly shouted Yu settled onto the roof. Yu carefully reached down to help Yosuke up. “You're really weird, partner, you know that?” Yosuke laughed a little playful. “Hang on... I see a crate I can use...”

With some effort and cooperation with Yu. Yosuke managed to climb up onto the roof beside Yu. Yosuke sighed as he relaxed. His breath visible in the cold air. “Thanks. Let's just hope neither of us falls and breaks something, okay?” Yosuke grinned. “ Wow... this side of the house faces away from the shopping district, huh?” He glanced up to the clear night sky. “You can really see the stars...”

Yu looked up and nodded. “Yeah they’re really pretty.” It was one of the first things he noticed when he came to Inaba. He was so used to the smog covered skies of the city that he almost forgot how beautiful the stars were.

“So... look, I came here because I wanna say something...” Yosuke started to speak, shifting uncomfortably. “I wanted to apologize for earlier.”

“Apologize?” Yu tilted his head. Yosuke nodded, fidgeting a bit.

“Everyone was saying really great stuff about you, and I couldn't think of anything. I mean, I COULD think of things, but... The thought of saying them out loud in front of everyone kinda freaked me out.” Yosuke sighed.

Yu didn’t know what to say so he simply listened.

“Look, you wanna hear what I would've said if I could have?...” Yosuke asked him. Yu nodded. “I would've said you're my best friend. We've got each other's backs no matter what. You've seen the worst of me, and stuck by my side anyway, and...” Yosuke’s face started to turn red. “...and I wouldn't want it to be anyone else.”

 _He just…_ Yu’s cheeks grew red his heart melting as Yosuke’s voice softened.

“Ugh, see, I don't have a problem telling you that, but to say it in front of someone else...? It feels kind of... private, somehow. I don't know why...”

Yu smiled. “It is kinda…”

Yosuke nodded. “Yeah... I guess it is. But maybe that's not a bad thing? Like... it's something that's just for us and no one else...” The brunette looked up to sky thoughtfully.

 _Just for us…_ Yu felt a tingly warm fill his body. He took in the view, not wanting to change a thing. This was just them. Eventually Yosuke turned back to him, his cheeks red as he noticed Yu’s stare.

“There's... one other thing I wanted to say before and couldn't...” Yosuke took in a deep breath and released a small cloud of mist. “I wish you could stay.”

Yu felt his body sink. A sudden bitterness overcoming him. He wanted to stay more than anything else in the world… but. “You know I can’t...”   
The words echoed for a moment. They weren’t meant for Yosuke, Yu knew that.

“I know, dammit.” Yosuke winced and then sighed, deflated. “I know that…”

Nothing hurt Yu more than to see Yosuke in such a pained state. There was nothing he could do. Yu had to leave, he had to just accept it. _I need to get over it. It isn’t going to be any easier._

“But we learned a lot about confronting ourselves and facing the truth this year...” Yosuke shifted his tone, a little more accepting of the pain. “And the truth is... I'm really gonna miss you...” Yosuke gave him a faint smile. Yu’s bitterness faded at his smile and he relaxed.

The two of them stayed on the roof for a long time.


	26. March 16th: Midnight Channel Reprise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yu sees the Midnight Channel again.

A soft rain hit the window of his room. Yu found himself pacing the room, anxious. He knew that when the clock struck twelve the Midnight Channel would appear. He only hoped that they could get a clearer picture of who was in danger.

It was now midnight. The TV flickered on and the image returned. To Yu’s surprise it was still very indistinct. Just like last time, he saw the shape of a young boy. His head bowed as he wiped his eyes on his sleeve... Yu felt a chill run through his body. He felt a strange familiarity hit him like he knew him. He frowned it did look like it could Teddie, but still… something felt wrong when he thought of that possibility. 

Yu went to his phone and called Yosuke. “Hey did you guys see that?”

“Yeah, I saw it. We both did.” Yosuke answered. “Wait... what?” Yosuke’s voice moved over the phone, probably talking to Teddie. “Ted, no, I'm on the phone!” He sighed. “Well, I guess it's not going away on its own. I'll start calling the others and let them know we're meeting tomorrow. We're gonna get to the bottom of this, partner. I promise.”

Yu gave determined nod. They would help whoever was on the channel. “Okay. Goodnight.”

“ 'Night, Yu. Try to get some sleep.” Yosuke told him and hung up.

Yu settled into bed. An uneasiness settling into his stomach. He wondered what would happen next. _Would there be another victim? It doesn’t make sense… Or is it really Teddie? What does that mean about the Midnight channel?_ Yu’s thoughts continued until he grew too tired to think anymore. He decided to go to bed.


	27. March 17th: The Dungeon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yu and the team go into the TV world.

Yu woke up to his phone, ringing. Yosuke was calling him and he hadn’t realized he had overslept. “Hello?” Yu asked getting up to get dressed. 

“Hey, partner... Don't freak out, but... I have some news you're not gonna like...” Yosuke’s tone was frantic. “I think Teddie went into the other world by himself!”

Yu’s hand started to shake. “By himself...? At a time like this?!” Yu started to get ready faster as Yosuke continued to talk.

“I thought it was weird he left the house before me today... I've been trying to call him all morning, but I can't get through to his phone... Just an out of service message... Then when I called Junes to see if he was there... Dad said he saw him around the electronics section.” Yosuke told him.Yu felt his stomach turn at the thought. “He's gotta be in the TV. It's the only thing that makes sense. Argh, dumb bear! Why'd he have to take off on his own like that? This isn't like him at all. He knows not to go in there without the rest of us! Has he said anything weird to you lately...?”

Yu paused and then thought back to the cherry blossom outing. “He did.” He spoke in partial disbelief. “He mentioned how he didn’t want to worry us about the Midnight Channel and the TV world.”

“Really? So he's feeling guilty about the other world, huh? That must be it. He must have gone to check it out so you wouldn't have to be worried about it!”

Yu felt a rush of guilt. He should have noticed it before. _Why didn’t I see it before?_ Yu clenched his teeth as Yosuke spoke even more panicked than before. “This is bad. Who knows what could happen to him in there! We gotta get everyone together and get him back. I'll start calling the others. Meet us at Junes as soon as you can.”

“I will. Don’t worry Yosuke.” Yu assured him. “Meet you there.”

“Meet you there.” Yosuke’s voice was soft and pleading.

Yu frowned as he hung up. Yu worried that Teddie was in real danger… He didn’t think that Teddie would try to take things this far on his own.

He finished getting dressed and headed straight to Junes.

* * *

Yu was surprised to see that everyone else had arrived to Junes before he did. Yosuke was throwing a fit, standing concerned and shouting at the group.

“Yosuke, calm down! Teddie came from the other world in the first place! If he's over there he'll be fine.” Chie tried to ease his anger.

“I know that! But that doesn't mean I want to leave him in there any longer than we have to.” Yosuke explained spotting Yu. Yu's presence seemed to be enough to calm him. He took a deep breath and sighed, sitting back down. 

“Of course not.” Naoto sighed. “He didn't get that much of a head start on us. If we go in now we should be able to find him.”

“Right. Don't worry, Yosuke-kun. We won't come back until we know Teddie is safe.” Yukiko assured him.

“Yeah, I know... It's just...” He frowned, worried. “If that really was Teddie on TV last night, it might not just be HIM we're gonna find in there...”

“Yosuke’s right.” Yu started. “If Teddie was on the Midnight Channel we might have to fight his Shadow again.” The thought made his uneasy.

“Man, I definitely ain't looking forward to fightin' that thing again...” Kanji frowned. “Gave me nightmares for weeks…”

Yu glanced over to everyone. No one wanted to fight that thing again.

“Then we'd better track him down before it comes to that. Shall we get going?” Naoto turned to Yu.

“Good idea. Let’s go save Teddie.” Yu told them with a firm nod.

They entered the TV world again, hoping that they would be able to bring back Teddie in one piece.

* * *

When they hoped into the other side, Yu immediately felt something was wrong. He felt _empty. Are my personas gone?_ A sense of dread filled him. “Rise, is anyone in here?” He asked, trying to focus. _No reason to panic yet._ Right now they had a job to do. _Make sure Teddie is safe and then worry about it._ He told himself. 

“Let me see...” Rise stood back and summoned Kanzeon to scan the area. It only took a moment. “Yes, someone's here. And it's definitely Teddie!”

Yosuke let out a frustrated hiss. “Dammit, I knew it...”

“Can you tell which way he is?” Yu asked him again. Hoping that he was ok.

Rise nodded. “He's not far. If we hurry we can catch up to him.”

“Then let's do that before something else does.” Yosuke told her.

Rise guided the team into the fog in the pursuit of Teddie.

As they walked, they began to see the outline of a building coming into the view ahead of them. The shape of it was familiar.

“Wait a minute. Isn't that the train station?” Yosuke spoke coming over to Yu’s side.

When they moved closer, Yu realized Yosuke’s initial thought was right. The building exterior was run down and deserted, but it was unmistakably Yasoinaba Station.

“Guys, this is really creepy...” Chie muttered. “Do you really think that Teddie could be trapped in here?”

Yu feared the answer inside, but he didn’t have time for fear. He glanced over to Rise, who stood back to summon her Persona. “Let me check.” She scanned the area for a few moments trying to determine if this is the right place. “Mmm... There's definitely someone in there, but it's hard to get a read on them... Let's be really careful, okay?” She looked over to Yu. He gave her a nod.

“Alright. Let’s take an quick look around and then decide what to do next.” Yu instructed them.

Yu led them into the station.

* * *

The train station is dark. The broken and flickering fluorescent bulbs giving brief glimpses of the area. Yu couldn’t see much, but he could see was horrible. The place was just as neglected as the exterior, dust and debris littered the floor. The walls and ceiling cracked and crumbling. Ahead of them in the center of the room, stood a familiar figure.

“Ted!” Yosuke called out to him. Teddie turned around and rushed towards them.

“Y-y-y-you guys...!” Teddie sounded on the brink of tears.

“There you are! We were worried sick! Thank goodness you're okay...” Rise sighed relieved.

Yosuke bopped him on the head, angered. “You moron, you could've gotten yourself killed! You shouldn't be over here by yourself!”

Teddie’s tone changed a bit surprised by their concern. “Y-Yikes! I-I-I couldn't help it! The Midnight Channel was on again last night! Sensei only has a few days left before he has to leave... I didn't want him to spend all that time worried about this... So I decided to check it out reeeeeally quickly...”

“That's dangerous!” Kanji scorned him. Teddie brushed it off.

“Grrrrr, I don't care! This is my world! I lived here for a long time before you guys came barging in, you know... If it's dangerous, then I'm the one who should face it!” Teddie shouted at them.

“Teddie... Were you afraid it really was you on the Midnight Channel? You felt guilty about allowing this to worry Yu-senpai before he leaves... Is that why you wanted to come here alone?” Naoto asked him. Teddie’s eyes lit up.

“Hehe... Nao-chan's so smart...” He smiled, but it seemed weak and sad. He sighed. “...I didn't plan on going far once I came here. I walked through the fog for a little while, like I used to... Then I must have gotten lost. I don't remember how I got to this building! And then you guys showed up...” He glanced around.

“Sooo what's the verdict? Did you smell anything weird while you were wandering around?” Chie asked him. Teddie shook his head.

“No, but... I thought I heard something just now...” Teddie told them. Yu’s air stood on end at the mention. Though it might have just been the atmosphere. Yu didn't want to be here for too long.

“Hm? I didn't hear anything...” Yukiko told him.

“Oh no... Am I hearing things?! I only just got here and already I'm bearly hanging onto my sanity...!” Teddie cried overdramatically.

Yosuke sighed at Teddie’s theatrics. “Relax, would you? We're not gonna let anything happen to you. C'mon, let's check this place out together.”

“This place looks like it's been abandoned for a long time. The real station doesn't look anything like this...” Yukiko muttered.

“It looks a bit different than the other areas we've been, too... I mean, it's pretty small. Doesn't it seem like there's only one floor?” Yosuke asked as the walked into the center.

“Hang on...” Everyone halted at Rise’s words. She took a moment to summon Kanzeon again and scan the area. “Whoa! Someone's definitely in here. I'm sure of it!”

Teddie shivered. “So I wasn't by myself in here?! Creepy...!”

Yu’s mind raced. _Then it was someone else on the Midnight Channel._ He turned to Rise. “Can you tell where they are?”

Rise nodded. “Yeah. There's another level below us. Maybe they're down there?”

“Below? Doesn't look like there's any stairs here to me.” Kanji explained as he started pacing around a bit.

Naoto tilted her head as she followed Kanji. “There must be access to the lower level somewhere nearby. Maybe a maintenance hatch?” She turned back to Yu. “We should look around.”

* * *

Yu and the group fanned out and dug through the trash and debris, searching for a way to reach the lower floors. Under the collapsed benches or behind the abandoned ticket counters they found nothing. Yu sighed and then returned to the center to meet with the others.

“This can’t be right.” Naoto spoke up, still glancing around the space. “Did we miss something?”

“Miss what?” Yosuke gave a frustrated sigh and stretched himself out. “This place isn't that big. The only other way out of the room we found was the air vents, but they're way too high to reach…What's going on?” Yosuke glanced over to Yu for guidance.

Yu thought for a moment about what to do. _If there is someone else here we should start from the front, maybe we can find more clues there._ He turned to his group. “We might have missed something outside.”

“Oh, that's right! We totally just barged in here without checking around outside, didn't we?” Chie laughed a little embarrassed. Naoto nodded.

“Let's head back. There must be another door to the lower level somewhere out there.”

Everyone started to make their way to exit, but as they did…

“H-Hey, what is this...?” Rise told.

The door wasn’t there anymore.

“What the--? This IS where we came in. I'm sure of it! Is this a maze of some kind...?” Chie ran over to the wall.

Yosuke followed. “No way... Are we stuck here?!

Yu stared at the empty wall in disbelief. _This can’t be happening…_

Teddie hurried forward. “Don't worry! I have just the thing for escaping situations like this! Come, Kamui!”

“Oh, nice thinking, Teddie! You can use Traesto to warp us out of here.” Yukiko thanked him.

“ Hehe, that's right! And I'll definitely get smooches from everyone for saving them! I think you call this kind of situation ‘win-win’!” Teddie bragged.

“Yeah, we’ll see about that…” Chie commented.

Everyone watched eagerly for Teddie to act. A bright light engulfed them… but when it fades… “It didn’t work.” Yu whispered quietly.

“Huh?! What happened?!” Teddie stood shocked.

Yosuke winced. “This area must count as the ‘entrance’... You dumb bear, why'd you have to get our hopes up like that?!”

“Y-You mean we can’t get out of here?!” Rise started to panic.

“Don't panic.” Naoto told everyone, looking very worried herself. “We should check the other walls. Perhaps we got turned around earlier when we were searching for the stairs.”

“Y-Yeah. Let's all stay calm and have another look around...” Yukiko agreed.

* * *

The rest of the group started to fan out, but Yu… Yu kept glancing at the empty wall. _I know this is where it was… Where did it go?_

“You noticed too, huh?” Yu turned around as Yosuke went up to him. Yu nodded. “We didn't get turned around or anything like that. The door was right here a few minutes ago.”

Yu sighed, a sinking feeling setting into him. He hadn’t realized it, but his chest had started to tighten. Like the air in the train station was slowly getting thicker. _What is this feeling?_

“ H-hey, are you all right? You're white as a sheet...” Yosuke asked and moved closer to Yu. He place a gentle on his shoulder to steady him. His eyes full of concern and tinged with fear. Yu stared into them. Yosuke's gesture eased the tightness in Yu's chest.

The sound of crying started to echo in his ears. For a moment, he thought it had just been imagination, but Yosuke glanced around too.

“D-d-did you hear that? Is someone crying?” Yosuke asked Yu. Teddie hurried over to them.

“That's it! That's what I heard!” Teddie shouted. Chie looked around.

“Huh? It's not one of us...”

Yosuke winced. “Don't tell me that! This place is getting creepier and creepier...!” The sound began to fade as Yu tried to hone in the source, but it quickly faded. “Come on, Yu. Let's either find out what that was, or find that door so we can get the hell out of here.”

Yu nodded. Now wasn’t the time to fawn, but Yu felt a deep relief that Yosuke remained by his side. He had learned that he could rely on him and all his friends to support him. He couldn’t imagine what he would do without them in a situation like this…

The tightness in his chest returns and intensifies at the thought. _What WOULD I do without them? When I’m alone…_ A sharp pain in his head, caused Yu’s world to spin. He took a step forward and nearly collapsed.

“...Hey, whoa!” Yosuke caught him. Yu blushed embarrassed. “Here sit down for a minute.” Yosuke settled him down against the wall. He placed a gentle hand on Yu’s shoulder. Yu took a deep breath, trying to ease himself. _I_ _’m glad he’s here…_

_**I don’t want to be alone.**_

The crying returned, louder this time. Desperate and Terrified. Yu listened to it. It sounded like a child. Yosuke glanced around too.

“Crying again...? H-Hey, the silhouette on the Midnight Channel was a kid, right?” Yosuke turned back to Yu. “Could it be him? Guys, are you hearing this?” Yosuke helped Yu up. They went over to the group. Yu feeling a little better but not great.

“Yeah, but where's it coming from?” Chie asked.

Teddie shook his head. “My nose hasn't been this bad in a long time. I know there's someone in here, but I can't tell where they are at all...”

Everyone gathered into the center of the room, defeated.

“The doors really are all gone.” Rise sighed and then turned to Yu. “What are we going to do?”

From somewhere a familiar voice started to echo. “Sensei, you've been spending a lot of time with Yosuke lately, haven't you? It's not fair... He's not the only one who'll miss you when you leave, you know!” Teddie's voice echoed around them. Yu froze. He remembered this conversation. Teddie stomped. “That... that was me! Grrrr, what is this?! That was a private conversation between me and Sensei! How dare you?!” He shouted at the ceiling.

Another voice came up. Yosuke’s. “Honestly... why'd you think it'd be a good idea to crowd into the same room?

Teddie’s voice continued the conversation. “Because I want to stay with everyone! I spent a long time in the TV world all alone, you know. Skiing, sleepovers... I want to do all the same fun things you guys get to do!”

The group listened for another moment, but the voices don’t continue. Teddie turned to the others confused. “W-What is this? What's happening...?!”

“Ted... You said that stuff at the ski lodge, didn't you? And this building... You said you don't remember how you got here? Are you sure this isn't... you?” Yosuke suggested.

Yu tensed as he waited for Teddie to respond. It didn't make sense to Yu. 

“ I-I'm positive! (worried) I mean... okay... maybe I'm worried about Sensei leaving... But that's normal! Everyone else is worried too, aren't you?!” Teddie told Yosuke. Yosuke blushed a little surprised to be singled out. 

“Well... yeah, but—”

“—I- It... it can't be me... This can't be my fault...!” Teddie reaffirmed.

“There's no need to be hard on yourself, Teddie.” Naoto told him to ease his outburst. “ Yu-senpai leaving has affected all of us in one way or another. It's natural to be sad when people aren't around anymore. That's what it means to care for someone.”

Teddie went quiet. “...Nao-chan...”

Naoto turned to Yu. “For now, let's prioritize finding a way out, shall we? The doors vanishing must be an illusion of some kind. We'll simply need to find its source.”

“What do we need doors for anyway? We've got our Personas. If there's no way out, we'll make our own!” Kanji suggested. Yosuke nodded.

“Guess we don't have a choice." Yosuke rolled his shoulders ready to try Kanji's plan. "All right, let's try the wall where we came in. If we all hit it at the same time maybe we can break it down.”

 ** _“No please… please don’t.”_** A child’s voice echoed.

“Huh?” Yosuke looked around.

Yu felt a chill run up his spine. The child speaking was _not_ Teddie. He looked around but he couldn’t seem to find the source.

“H-Hey, kid! Are you okay? We're here to help you! Just hang on!” Kanji shouted.

Rise stood their stunned as she summoned her Persona. “No. Guys, that's not the kid. It's the Shadow! Are we too late?!”

“The Shadow...?” Yosuke asked her confused. “ ...Wait a minute, how is that even possible? Remember when Nanako-chan was stuck in here? She was too young to have her own Shadow. So how come this kid has one?”

“W-Wait... Look over there!” Yukiko pointed past Yu.

Yu turned around and behind him, a young child stood alone against the wall where the exit should have been. He wipes his tear-stained face on his sleeve and looks up at Yu. Yu felt his blood turn cold. He knew this child. The others didn’t recognize him yet… _but I do…_ He shivers as the the Shadow spoke.

**_“Please… Please don’t leave me here…I-I’m scared…”_ **

His legs went heavy and numb. Those eyes. The yellow eyes focused on him intently. There’s isn’t a trace of doubt in Yu’s mind. _This is my Shadow._

The Shadow continued as it cried. **_“Mom… Dad… Someone…!”_**

“It's a Shadow, but... I-It looks kind of like Sensei... doesn't it?” Teddie spoke. Yu flinched. He had secretly wished that they didn't recognize it. 

“Yu is... is that what I think it is?” Yosuke’s voice cause him to turn back around. His voice was caught in his throat, all he could do was nod.

“Yu-kun's Shadow?!” Yukiko shouted and then went quiet with pity in her voice. “But... he's just a little boy.”

“Holy shit, dude. I didn't think you HAD one. What's it doing here?” Kanji asked Yu surprised.

Yu didn’t know. He had gained his Personas having to never faced a Shadow to get them. He’d thought he’d been spared the trauma… but now it was evident that he hadn’t. He couldn’t take his eyes off of the anxious and poor expression of his Shadow.

 ** _“Everyone left me behind. I don’t want to be alone again… Please… stay with me.”_** Yu’s Shadow whispered softly.

“What's it doing here?” Chie turned to Rise. “You guys checked over this side after the first time we saw the Midnight Channel, right?”

Rise nodded. “It must be here because Senpai came with us this time... It never had a chance to appear until he came over to this side...” She pouted. “If we'd never come here...!”

Naoto glanced at the Shadow and walked over to Yu. “Something's strange. It doesn't seem hostile like the others. Senpai... what's going on?”

Yu didn’t know how to answer her. The Shadow ­ _did_ feel different than the others they had faced. In fact it seemed terrified and timid. Still its presence shook him to his core.

 ** _“I don’t want to be alone… Don’t leave me…”_** The Shadow pleaded with them again. Yu’s skin crawled as he realized he _had_ been thinking that way recently. **_“I never wanted to come here!”_** The Shadow pouted. **_“I just wanted to stay with Mom and Dad. But they always leave me… and now that I have friends, they want to take me away again.”_** The Shadow started to cry again. **_“W-Why? What did I do?”_**

Yu winced as the words hit his heart. Hearing it, made him feel childish. He knew he couldn’t fight what was going to happen... _crying won't fix anything._

“Sensei... I think I can understand.” Teddie began. “When I look at your Shadow, I remember what it felt like to be here all alone... Even though I was just a shadow myself, I was really lonely. I wanted to be with people more than anything.” Teddie smiled. “We'll stay with you, Sensei. You don't have to be afraid.”

Yu’s Shadow wasn’t convinced. **_“You’re lying! You can’t understand! Everyone…_** ” The Shadow’s voice started to crack as it cried harder. **_“Everyone always leaves me… Is is me?”_**

Tears spilled down his Shadow’s cheeks as it continued to cry. Yu could barely breath. His voice still trapped in his throat unable to speak. **_“Did I do something bad? Please tell me what I did wrong?”_**

Yu suddenly felt tears roll down his own cheek. He placed a hand out to rub the tears away. He felt a guilt build up within him.

“Hey, c'mon, don't think that way. You've gotta know by now, right? We're not gonna leave you all by yourself.” Kanji tried to cheer up the Shadow.

The Shadow stopped crying. **_“Y-You’re not?”_**

“Of course not. You're our friend, Yu-kun.” Chie smiled. “We'll always be with you, no matter what.”

Yu’s Shadow smiled, wiping the last of the tears away. **_“I’m glad… I’m so glad.”_ **It sniffled a bit, but Chie’s reassurance seemed to have calmed it.

Looking at it, made Yu feel sick. He couldn’t believe that something so childish and selfish came from him. His friends watched him, expecting him to say something. But Yu just clenched his jaw. They had done so much for him. He knew that just because he’s moving away doesn’t mean that they would abandon him. _Still…_ He looked forward. His Shadow calmly walking up to him with eager eyes. _Why is THAT here?_

“Senpai, I don't understand why, but it seems your Shadow isn't going to go berserk like the others.” Naoto said. The Shadow then walking over to her, curiously. She spoke cautiously. “Even though it appeared, you must still have some control over it. I know it's difficult, but... please try to accept it.”

Yu tensed as the Shadow went up to Teddie with a grin. Teddie smiled in awe. “Tiny Sensei is so cute~! I wish you could come play with me and Nana-chan...” 

Yu shook his head. “No…” It took more energy than he had expected for him to speak up. “N-No you can’t.”

Everyone glance over to Yu, with anxious stares. His Shadow frowned, tilting his head. **_“I… I can’t play with you… Why not?”_**

Yu feels even more friction in his chest, but he can’t let this continue. He wasn't a child anymore. “You need to grow up.” He told his shadow.

Yu’s shadow shook his head and latched onto Teddie. **_“But… I don’t want to grow up… When you grow up, people forget about you. They think because you’re older you don’t need them anymore…”_**

Yu tensed. The words hurting more. His body starting to tremble. **_“I want to go with you now!”_** Yu’s shadow pouted, stomping the ground.

“B-But... you have to go with Sensei...” Teddie spoke quietly to Yu’s Shadow patting its head.

“Teddie… stop talking.” Yosuke muttered to him. Teddie glanced over to Yosuke. “NOW.”

Yu took a deep breath again. “Yu. It’s time to grow up.” He repeated the statement again. It was a statement he had heard to try and ease his fits of crying and tantrums when he was younger and still not used to the constant moving. The Shadow’s face fell as it pulled away from Teddie and walked over towards Yu. A heartbroken expression on its face. It stopped in front of Yu. **_“I knew it...”_** His Shadow began. **_“You’re like everyone else... You promise you won't leave, and then abandon me the first chance you get... I won't let it happen anymore! If you won't stay... I'll make you.”_**

A dark cloud of fog emanated from the Shadow’s body grows dark. “S-Senpai... this is staring to get dangerous. Please accept it before it goes out of control!” Rise told him.

Yu nodded, but as he tries to speak, his voice gets caught in his throat. A tear runs down his cheek. He reached up, frightened. Yu’s Shadow mocks him with a smile. It morphed, aging to a pre-teen. The way it spoke to him felt much older.. like _this_ was his true nature. 

**_“Hehe. Don’t you feel better now that they know?"_ **It scoffed. **"** **I'm _s-so lonely... I don't want to be alone anymore. I want someone to stay with me... My parents... my friends... Why won't they stay? Am I not good enough? ...Who am I kidding? Of course I'm not.”_**

The Shadow started to circle his friends. Yu stood frozen and could only watch his friends fearful expression. 

**_“It hurts so much when people leave me. I don't want to feel like that ever again. What should I do? Staying away from them and having no friends hurts even more than being abandoned... maybe... maybe if I was closer to them...Maybe if they LOVED me...”_**

Yu felt his stomach drop as the Shadow paused at Yosuke. It turned to Yu, bright eyes glaring into him.

Yosuke flinched as the Shadow ran a careful hand down his arm and laid it's head to tilt against him. It spoke with a dark blush on its cheeks as it clutched onto Yosuke's arm.

 _ **"That's** **it... If I could make someone like me that much, they'd never want to leave me! What do I have to do to make them love me back? I'll do it, no matter what it is. I'll make them need me...** ” _The Shadow tightened it's grip on him. **_“I'll make them depend on me so much they can't bear being apart from me... And then when I'm gone, and it hurts to be away from them... I won't be alone."_** It pulled away and walked back over to Yu. **_"They'll know the kind of pain I'm feeling. They'll cry, and hurt, and think about me all the time... They'll NEED to be with me just so they won't feel miserable anymore...”_**

The shadow talked faster and faster as it returned to the wall. The urge to deny it surged up inside of Yu. He faced it. _I didn’t want to hurt anyone… I… I love Yosuke. I don't want to hurt him._ His Shadow glanced over to Yu. As if reading his thoughts.

 ** _“I don't care if it's selfish anymore. I just want them to suffer like I will! I want them to be always thinking about me. I don't care! I just want them to love me. Just promise you won't leave me alone..._** ** _Promise you'll stay here with me forever...”_** The Shadow addressed everyone with a hopeful grin.

Yu felt his stomach turn as it spoke excitedly.

“W-wait, when you say ‘stay here’...” Yosuke began nervously. Yu glanced back to him. He was a nervous wreck. “You mean... HERE?”

Yu turned back to the Shadow. The Shadow grinned and nodded. **_“That’s right. I don't want to be apart from you... but I can't stay in Inaba, and you can't come with me. So we'll stay here together, in this world that made our bonds possible. And we'll never be apart again...”_** Yu’s Shadow told them fondly.

“Stay in this world...?!” Chie panicked. “Yu- kun, you know we can't do that! You have to let us go!”

 ** _“No! I can’t… I can’t let it happen again…”_** The Shadow started to pout and shifted into a tantrum full of rage. **_“I CAN’T BE ALL ALONE!”_**

The dark energy around the Shadow’s body pulsed and flared. Through the empty train station, smoky figure emerged from the cracks in the floors and walls. They slowly made their way towards them.

 ** _“DON’T LEAVE ME!”_** Yu’s Shadow screamed again as it aged up to match Yu's.

With hardly a brief warning, the shadows suddenly surged towards Yu and the group. They had no choice but to fight. The others called out and summoned their Personas. But Yu couldn’t. _They're gone... all of them are gone._ His theory about his emptiness in his soul was true. His Shadow was his Persona and now he was stuck fighting without it.

He raised his sword to protect himself, feeling even heavier after his Shadow’s outburst. He turned around to face his Shadow. Being in it’s presence seemed to be sapping every ounce of energy he had. Yu struggled to concentrate on a single thought. He knew it was right… He _did_ want to keep everyone with him… for a just little longer. And with Yosuke… _was it wrong…? Should I have done nothing..?_

Yu gathered his strength and went to step towards his Shadow. He needed to accept it before it was too late. 

“Look out!!” A shadow nearby surged towards Yu, preparing to strike. Before Yu could react, he felt someone slam into him from behind. They crashed onto the floor. Yu glanced up to see Yosuke over him. Yosuke winced as he leaned over him protectively.

 _He just saved me._ Yu thought as he heard someone else take down the Shadows around them.

When the coast was clear, Yosuke sat up with a concerned gaze. “Y-You okay? That was close.” He winced and Yu’s eye widen as he noticed the blood coming down his arm.

 _He’s hurt. He got hurt protecting me…_ Yu turned to his Shadow, who stared horrified about what had happened.

 ** _“STOP!”_** His shadow roared. On command, the shadows paused their assault and retreated back into the corners of the room.

“Yosuke why?” Yu started to shake. His shadow rushed over to them, younger now back as a pre-teen. 

**“Why would you do that?!”** Yu and his Shadow asked him. 

**_“You could have been killed!”_** His shadow shouted looking down at Yosuke.

“What do you mean, ‘why’?” Yosuke asked, placing pressure on his arm. “I don’t want to see you get hurt!” He told him.

Yu spoke with his shadow again. **“So you’d… you’d throw your life away to save mine?”**

“Obviously, stupid! You're important to me... I'm not gonna let you die!” Yosuke shouted. Yu felt a warmth rise up to his cheeks. 

**_"How could you…_** ” The shadow shrunk down to be just a little older than Nanako. _**"H**_ ** _ow could you do that to me?! You’d let yourself die, and leave me behind? How could you?!”_** The Shadow started to tear up in a fit. It turned away, stomping its foot down. **_“Fine! If you won't stay with me, then go! I don't need you!”_**

Yosuke glanced at the Shadow with a wounded look his face. Yu took a deep breath. _I can’t let this continue._ He looked to his Shadow. “That’s enough.” Yu dragged himself onto his feet. He cared about his friends and he knows that his feelings for Yosuke are real… He stumbled over to his Shadow, who looked up at him in fear.

“You’re right…” Yu knelt down to meet his Shadow in the eyes. His voice shook as he spoke. “I am afraid to leave. I’ve always been afraid to leave. I’ve always felt alone. No matter where I went… I always felt alone…but here. I made friends… and I…” _I fell in love._ Yu took a deep breath. He couldn’t admit that yet. “I’m you and you’re me.” He pulled his Shadow into a tight hug. “I promise.” He glanced over to his friends for a brief moment with a smile. “We won’t be alone.” The shadow eased into his hug and a bright light engulfed it.

Yu pulled back and when it faded, a Persona Card landed in his hand. _Izanagi._ It faded into him. In an instant he felt his Personas return to him.

“Look, the door!”

Yu stood up to look at where Yukiko pointed. The entrance of the train station had reappeared.

“What a relief. Let's hurry. We shouldn't linger here.” Naoto and the others started to make there way toward the exit. Yu nodded and took a step towards the door. His body felt weak and his legs started to give out.

“Whoa!” Yosuke reached out to catch him. “Careful, partner.” Yosuke looped arm on Yu’s waist. “It's rough, huh?” He whispered softly to Yu. “You'll probably feel tired for a while just like we all did.” Yu stared at Yosuke’s gentle gaze. “Don't worry.” He winked. “I'll get you home.”

Yu didn’t fight the warmth that filled his cheeks. _I love Yosuke…_ The thought echoed in his head.

Together they made there way back to the entrance. Yu felt more at peace than he had in a long time. 


	28. March 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yu recovers from his dungeon.

Yu stirs for a moment, before opening his eyes. Yesterday was like a horrible dream, but the aches in his body proved otherwise. He thought back to his Shadow.

**_I don't care if it's selfish anymore. I just want them to suffer… just like me. I want them to be always thinking about me._ **

He didn’t want to admit it, but now that he had accepted it he felt better. As if a tremendous weight had been lifted from you heart. Acknowledging it was a big relief…

_I wonder how Yosuke is doing…_

Yu looked around and snagged his phone. When he skimmed through his missed messages.

**Chie: I hope you're feeling better soon! Rest up, leader!!!**

**Yukiko: You were brave yesterday. You earned a rest, Yu-kun.**

**Teddie: i'm glad ur safe, sensei! do u need me 2 nurse u back 2 health?**

**Rise: Senpaaaai~! Get well soon! ^o^ I know you'll be better in no time!!**

**Naoto: plz let us kno if we can help. u arent alone**

**Kanji: Hang in there, Senpai! We're all here for you.**

He smiled. He really wasn’t alone. Finally he glanced over to the last message. _From Yosuke._

**Yosuke: hey partner. how r u feelin? lemme know if ur ready to go out tmrw.i need 2 talk 2 u. get sum rest, k?**

His heart leapt a little, he wanted to talk to Yosuke. He wanted to confess everything. He didn’t want to waste one of his last days in Inaba... still he felt exhausted. He decided to rest for the day.


	29. March 19th: The Confession

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yu meets Yosuke on the hill overlooking the town.

It was Yu’s second to last day in Inaba. Per Yosuke’s request, Yu met him at the hill overlooking the town.

The two of them settled onto a bench.

“You bounced back from the other day pretty quick, huh? I told everyone not to worry about you so much, but they couldn't help it.” Yosuke flashed him a smile. “Man, don't they know anything about you?” Yosuke leaned back.

“But you do.” Yu smiled back. Yosuke nodded with a light chuckle.

Yosuke’s smile lowered as he continued on a more serious note. “Anyway, I wanted to apologize for not noticing something was up with you.”

“Yosuke it’s fine, really I—”

“—I know I'm not a mind reader or anything like that, but looking back, there were some pretty big signs.” Yosuke interrupted him. “I was just too wrapped up in my own stuff to pay much attention.” He took deep breath and leaned forward, keeping his gaze down as he speaks. “So, about your Shadow... I want you to know I'm not letting what it said get to me.” He winced as if he felt guilty. “I know what it's like to want people to stay with you. When it was happening, I let it get under my skin for a minute. I started wondering if I was just someone convenient to you... Someone so dependent on you that abandoning you was never going to be an option... And maybe it's true that I'm like that, but you're not the kind of person who'd take advantage of it. After everything we've been through together, you can't fake the kind of bond we have. I'm in it for the long haul, partner.”

“I am too.” Yu replied, smiling.

“Actually,” Yosuke went a little quiet, fidgeting nervously. “I wasn’t going to tell you this, but I think my stomach is going to permanently tie itself in knots if I don't get it out before you leave, so... Yu, I think I might be... I think I LIKE you… no I think I LOVE you.”

Yosuke stared at him mortified and red from ear to ear. _Did he just?_ Yu’s heart skipped a beat. “Are you saying what I think you are?”

“Oh, c'mon, dude! What else could I be talking about?! D-Don't make this more awkward than it already is...” Yosuke grumbled and glanced away, embarrassed.

“I…” Yu’s mind suddenly crowded with a million different words. It must have been forever before he found something to say. Yosuke quietly and anxiously waiting for a response. “Y-Your special to me too. I love you too, Yosuke.”

Yosuke’s eyes went wide.

“Y-You remember that?” Yu nodded with a gentle smile. “Telling you that was kind of—”

Yu cut him off with a kiss. Sweet and deep. When he pulled away, he watched the surprised expression on Yosuke’s face. His cheeks a deep red and his mouth agape. 

“Ooooookay. Yeah. That was weird. I mean, not WEIRD weird, just—” He placed a hand on his neck, his voice rising. “It's not quite how I thought it'd be... I-I mean, I wasn't thinking about...!”

Yu gave him a small smirk. Yosuke was adorable flustered. “No Good?”

Yosuke shook his head embarrassed. “N-No! That’s not it at all! It’s more like…” Yosuke tried to calm himself as he spoke. “I guess it’s weird how NOT weird it was.” He muttered. “It… just felt right.”

Yu gave him a smile and let his hand intertwine with Yosuke’s. Yosuke eased into his grip and finally smiled back. “Partners?” Yu asked him. Yosuke spoke with rosy cheeks.

“Partners.” Yosuke’s voice soft as he nodded. His eyes glanced down to where their hands intertwined. “Guess we should be heading back soon… If I keep you out too long, Dojima-san will really let me have it. Not to mention Nanako-chan.”

“They’ll understand since we’ve only got one more day.” Yu assured him as he tightened his hand around Yosuke’s. Yosuke smiled and then leaned against Yu, turning to watch the town over the hill.

“Good. I don’t want to go home just yet…”

* * *

The two of sat together for a while until Yu grew tired. Yosuke insisted on walking Yu to his home. When they got close, Yosuke stopped. “Is that? Crap.” Yosuke broke away from Yu.

“Is something wrong?” Yu glanced over to where Yosuke was looking. “Is that Teddie?” Yu asked him. Yosuke nodded, blushing now.

“Shit I don’t want him to see me like this… I’ll see you tomorrow.” Yosuke started to move away. Yu grabbed his hand.

“Wait.” He told him. Yosuke stared at him, startled and nervous. Yu kissed his on the cheek and then let him go. “See you tomorrow.” Yosuke continued to stare for a moment, cheeks red, and the nodded. Yosuke walked off, head down.

Yu knew that it would take Yosuke a while to come around to being more official in their relationship. But Yu didn’t mind. He didn’t know how to do it either. Though he knew they would figure it out together.

Yu continued to get closer. Teddie caught sight of him and smiled. “Oh! There you are, Sensei. I just came to visit you! Nana-chan said you went out for a while, so I waited.” Teddie looked him over once. “Is it okay for you to be out of bed already?! You shouldn't push yourself too hard!” Teddie told him concerned. “Don't worry, Sensei. I know you need to rest, so I won't bother you for very long.”

“I’m alright Teddie.” Yu assured him. 

“It’s just that… I just wanted to thank you.” Teddie explained.

“Thank me?” Yu tilted his head in confusion _I was the one rescued. Why would he thank me?_

“Well... you see... Even though it wasn't my Shadow we found in the other world after all... I kind of feel like it was.” Teddie glanced down. “When we heard my voice in there... The one that came from your memories... Those were all things I was really scared to think about. They were things I told you and the others to make myself feel better when I was the most scared. I was so afraid of being alone again... And I guess you were, too. Even if I didn't know it...”

 _Teddie._ Yu frowned. Yu’s shadow had mentioned that he could never understand. But maybe Teddie could really relate. He was afraid of being alone again too…

“But it's okay!” Teddie gave a determined nod. “It's fine to tell yourself things so you won't be scared anymore. And it's even better when you have friends who will tell you the same things so you don't have to. So... thank you, Sensei. I know I'm not alone. And neither are you.”

Yu smiled as Teddie beamed at him brightly. He felt how grateful and affectionate Teddie was. “Let’s take a walk ok?” Yu suggested. Teddie nodded excitedly. The two of them walked down the street for a bit talking about the small things that they remembered.


	30. March 20th: That Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yu and Yosuke spend some time after the final fight.

And so... After a year of tirelessly pursuing the truth, Yu had finally discovered and defeated the source of the fog, and the Midnight Channel.

Izanami, who questioned whether mankind preferred difficult truths over comfortable falsehoods...

The one who created the Midnight Channel, a window that reflects what people believe and wish to see... the one who granted Yu the power to enter that world and prove the strength of humanity's conviction. The Investigation team’s triumph over her finally resolved the mystery they sought to unravel.

The battle was difficult... But the strength of their bonds prevailed. Yu’s friends risked their lives to protect him from Izanami's final attack. And his connections to them allowed him to stand up and keep fighting. Together, they reached a conclusion none of them could have hoped to achieve alone.

Yu understand the emergence of his own Shadow now...

Teddie’s loneliness, spurred on by Yu’s impending departure, both echoed and amplified Yu’s own fears. And public discussion of Teddie provided a vehicle for the spread of rumor through people’s thoughts… Teddie’s appearance on the Midnight Channel was therefore in its own way related the other self you had to face… It was only a matter of time before this inner conflict rose to the surface.

However, he felt relieved to have successfully navigated these issues. He could now return home, having fully faced and understood himself.

It was late, but despite his exhaustion he couldn’t sleep. He should’ve been happy. They had fought so hard to reach the truth. He should be satisfied with the victory and the answer he had obtained. But when he closed his eyes, the sensation of falling asleep feels too much like the curse that almost killed him.

 _Why am I afraid, when I’m the safest I’ve been all year?_ He could do nothing, but lay in bed and stare at the ceiling. His phone buzzed and he glanced over. _A text from Yosuke._

**Yosuke: Yu r u awake? cn i come up? plz need 2 talk 2 u**

He smiled. It was exactly what he needed right now. Yu texted him back and snuck downstairs to unlock the door.

Yosuke followed Yu quietly up the stairs to his room, careful not to disturb Dojima and Nanako. The last thing Yu wanted was to get in trouble for sneaking a boy in his room at the end of his stay here. They left the light off just to insure they wouldn’t wake anyone.

Yu settled onto his futon and expected Yosuke to sit beside him. Instead Yosuke remained standing and paced awkwardly. “Sorry to keep you up so late. I know you've got a big day ahead of you tomorrow. I've got a lot on my mind... and I need to sort it out before you go.”

Yosuke stopped pacing long enough to notice how exhausted Yu looked. “Oh... geez, there I go again getting wrapped up in myself... (worried) Are you okay? After what happened today...”

Yu frowned, unsure of what to say. “Not really.” He admitted.

“I know what you mean…” Yosuke nodded. “Still having a hard time believing we won against a goddess, but hey... Add it to the list of weird and impossible shit we had to do this year.”

Yosuke finally took a deep breath and then looked at Yu concerned. “Look, I... I need to tell you something....I decided I'm not going to go to college with you after all.”

Yu felt himself tense up. Even if he wasn’t entirely sold in the idea at first, he still wanted to see Yosuke more. To be with him more.

“Not because I don't want to!” Yosuke blurted out, noticing the look of disappointment in Yu’s stare. “It's not that at all, so don't worry. It’s just that over the last few days I've realized that I was going about it all the wrong way. I thought I was deciding on my future for myself... but I really wasn't, huh? It was really you deciding it for me. Don't get me wrong, you didn't force me or anything like that! That's not what I'm saying at all.” Yosuke paused to correct himself. “You weren't even the one who made the suggestion in the first place. That was all Teddie's doing... But before I knew it, things got out of control. I let you become the center of all my goals. Ha... No wonder I felt like I was falling behind...I wasn't supposed to be following you in the first place.”

It took Yu a moment to process Yosuke’s words. He was right. He couldn’t follow Yu forever. “You should take charge of your own future.” Yu told him.

Yosuke nodded. “I have to choose my future with a clear head... not just because I'm afraid of missing out.”

Yosuke settled down beside Yu on the futon. “I’ll miss you, you know…” Yu explained and leaned towards him slightly.

“Yeah... me too. I-I mean, I'll miss YOU, not that I'll miss ME...” Yosuke blushed, flustered by the narrowing distance between them. “Um... what I mean is...” Yosuke took a brave breath and took Yu’s hands in his. Yu feeling himself blush at the contact. “The best way I can help you is to become the kind of person you can rely on. So while you're gone, that's what I'm gonna do. Not because I'm afraid of being left behind or of us drifting apart... But because it's the best thing I can do... For both of us...”

Yosuke leaned forward and kissed Yu with a newfound confidence. Yu felt a rush run through him as he pressed back. He never thought that this is what would happen… but he was glad it did. Yosuke straddled him and slowly pushed him back onto the bed, hovering over with a heavy breath, almost panting. “So I guess this is it, huh…” He muttered, face red, eyes dilated. Their lips only a few inches apart now. “You’re really leaving…” Yosuke’s hands went up to Yu’s shirt, latching onto it greedily. “Mind if I stay a while longer?” He spoke with a longing gaze. Yu moved up to kiss him and whispered into his ear.

“However long you want.”

**_...Yu’s relationship with Yosuke has become intimate._ **


	31. March 21st: Time for Goodbye

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yu says goodbye to Inaba.

It was the morning of Yu’s departure from Inaba.

Yu had had an awkward morning due to Yosuke accidentally staying over. Yosuke could not stop apologizing or blushing about the whole matter, but surprisingly Dojima didn’t say much except offer Yosuke some breakfast. Yu suspected that his uncle either didn’t understand what had happened between the two or he did and he just didn’t want to say anything on the topic.

Together they went to train station to meet their friends for Yu’s final goodbyes. Yu clutched onto his luggage, feeling bittersweet.

Yosuke frowned as he stood next to Yu. “Yo, well this is it.”

“You really are leaving, huh? It hasn't really hit me yet...” Chie sighed. Yu turned to her and nodded.

“Me neither.” He admitted.

Rise pouted and latched onto Yu. “N-No more Senpai from t-tomorrow on...” She teared up a bit, though Yu wondered if they were just crocodile tears. He glanced over to Yosuke who seemed a little… jealous? Yu smiled a little amused.

“Hey, quit crying...!” Kanji snapped at her, his voice shaking a little. “It's way too soon for that!”

Kanji pulled Rise off of Yu. Yu could’ve sworn that he heard Yosuke give a sigh of relief at.

Nanako rushed forward and hugged Yu tightly. “ Big bro... I don't want you to go away...” She buried her face into him.

“Nanako... Didn't you promise that you wouldn't cry?” Dojima told her stepping up to them.

“Mmm-hmm...” Nanako finally stepped back and wiped her eyes dry.

“Hey it’s going to be okay Nanako. I’ll come to visit soon ok?” Yu told Nanako with a smile.

Nanako nodded with a smile. “Okay!”

“Thanks for everything Yu.” Dojima told him. “To me, you're just as much a part of this family as Nanako. I'm really glad you came to stay with us.” Dojima gave him a proud look and then nodded. “It's almost time. You'd better get on the train.”

Yu clutched onto his bags and nodded. “Alright. Thank you for everything.” He glanced over to Yosuke, who wore an affectionate smile.

“Have a safe trip, partner. Let me know when you get there okay! I'll be waiting.”

“Of course.” Yu grinned back his chest feeling warm and fuzzy. Teddie glanced from Yu to Yosuke. “Huh...? Yosuke, you look really happy! Did something happen?”

Both of them grew bright red. “N-Never mind that!” Yosuke glanced at Yu and then gave a sighed. “...I'll tell you everything later Teddie.”

Yu gave his last goodbye to everyone and boarded the train. As the train started to take off, his friends chased it as far as the could to the end of the platform. He waved back, smiling. They remained dedicated to him… even after seeing his other self. No matter how far apart they were, he knew that the bonds of trust and loyalty he felt would always be with him. He would never be alone again.


	32. Two Months Later

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yu returns to Inaba.

Life has been busy since Yu had left Inaba. Senior year was in full swing in the city. It had only been two months since he had left Inaba. He was excited to see his family and friends. So excited that he had planned to keep his visit a surprise. However, Yosuke had managed to guess his plans through some impressively astute questioning…

Yosuke told him he would meet him at his uncle’s house later. It felt like forever since he had last seen his boyfriend. _Boyfriend._ The word always made Yu’s heart leap.

After a long ride, Yu had finally arrived at Yasoinaba Station. He gathered up his things and stepped out onto the platform. It had taken all day to travel here, but the setting sun still kept the air pleasantly warm. It was strange to see the place so… normal. He felt a swell of pride and relief as he remembered what he and his friends accomplished together.

To his surprise, Yosuke was waiting for him by the Station doors. Yu froze. “Yu! You made it! Surprised to see me? Hehe... I miiiight have lied a little about having to work today. You're not mad, are you?” Yosuke beamed, enamored by his own cleverness.

“Yosuke!~” Yu dropped his bag and ran over to Yosuke, hugging him tightly and almost toppling them over.

“Whoa--! Ha ha, easy there, partner!” Yosuke laughed. “I'm glad to see you too...” He returned the hug warmly. After a brief kiss, Yu pulled away. “Need a ride into town? I finally got my license now.”

“Already?” Yu asked he grabbed his bag. The two of them walked out of the station.

“Yeah I crashed my bike so I decided just to get my license and buy this baby.” Yosuke walked over to a scooter. He patted it. “It’s no motorcycle, but—”

“—It’s perfect.” Yu smiled as he took a helmet from Yosuke. He placed it on and hoped onto the bike after Yosuke. Yu wrapped onto Yosuke’s waist as the rode.

“I, uh... I haven't told you yet, huh? I decided to go to college after all…” Yosuke told him.

Even though they talked almost everyday since Yu had left, Yosuke hadn’t mentioned anything on it until now.

“Really? This is a surprise.”

“Yep. I’m not sure where though. If I went to school with you I think I'd just fall into old habits. Thinking I need to "keep up" with you and stuff like that. But y'know... I think it'll be good for me to have goals of my own to focus on. If I'm going to be the kind of person you can rely on, I need to get stronger.”

Yu smiled and held onto him closer. “I’m proud of you.”

“C-C’mon dude, you’re embarrassing me…” Yosuke laughed.

 _It’s true though._ Yu thought has he felt the wind blow through his hair.

“Man... I'm not gonna lie. Living apart from you really sucks. But y'know what? It's not as bad as I thought it would be.” Yosuke smiled. “We talk all the time. I don't feel like I'm not a part of your life....I think that's what I was really looking for all along.”

The content in Yosuke’s voice put Yu at ease. He watched the world around them as went further into town.

By the time they reached the Dojima residence, the sun dipped down below the horizon. “Well... this is it.” Yu got off of the scooter and handed the helmet back to Yosuke. Yosuke got off and handed Yu his bag. “Guess I can't keep you to myself all day, huh?” The stare in Yosuke’s eyes shifted as he pulled Yu closer. “That's okay...” His voice softened to a loving whisper. “But you're all mine tomorrow, got it?” His lips met Yu’s in a firm greeting. Yu more than welcomed it. When they pulled away Yu was expecting Yosuke to maintain his calm and determined composure. Instead Yosuke was a flustered and blushing mess, hardly able to keep his gaze on Yu. Yu grinned. He loved Yosuke’s honest emotions. “Seriously! I get dibs or something, right?!”

Yu nodded and then pressed his lips to Yosuke’s cheek. “Of course.”

As they pulled apart, the door to the Dojima house slide open. Nanako waited on the other side. “Big bro! You're here! Welcome back!” She rushed over to him for a hug. Yu crouched down to meet her halfway. Behind her Dojima stood with a welcoming grin.

Yosuke placed a hand on Yu’s shoulder. Yu glanced up to meet Yosuke’s kind gaze. “Heh... Welcome home, partner.”


End file.
